fruit

Fall Feeding

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Fall in Virginia is a good time for eating; apples are at their prime, “winter” squash is ripe for the picking and glowing all hues of orange, the last of the fresh greens are to be savored, and soups becomes appealing again after several months of steering clear of anything (besides hot coffee!) that might raise my core temperature.

As my I Cook “recipe” page disclaimer states, I ain’t really about recipes but I do love experimenting in the kitchen and wanted to highlight some of my favorite fall makes today.

This cranberry sauce is a personal favorite. It freezes really well and so I make a big batch then put small mason jars in the freezer.  When I run out I grab another jar and let it defrost in the fridge then eat it mixed in plain yogurt.

sugar free cranberry sauce

I’m less of a baker than I used to be (I have lost my sweet tooth!) but historically I am more successful with muffins than cookies or bread and hot from the oven baked goods screams fall.

banana nut muffins

 

Seeing this salt picture is a great reminder to harvest what herbs I can find and make myself a big batch!

stuffing salt recipe

 

Miso serves a double purpose in this recipe; it provides the depth of flavor and richness that I crave in the colder months plus the immune-boosting aspects of fermented food.

miso soup recipe

 

I’ve been working on editing my I Eat page this week and it’s made me realize how much my diet has changed since creating it a few years ago.  I wish I would have saved the old version before I started revising but basically when I made that page I was eating more soy and less animal products than now.   The biggest surprise? I forgot that I was ever silly enough to buy nonfat yogurt!  These days my top choice is this greek stuff that is 10% milkfat, it’s fattier than ice cream and it takes amazing. 🙂

Today is my Day 3 of the One Hour Plank Challenge, how about you?

 

 

Half-Ass Homemade Sorbet

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I wanted to call this recipe “Half Homemade Sorbet” but it is so simple that it really feels more like “Home Assembled”.

In any case, it’s my new go-to for quick, easy, allergy-friendly dinner party dessert.

Mango and Candied Ginger Sorbet with Grilled Pineapple and Ginger Snaps
Serves: 6
Can easily be made dairy and gluten free by choosing/making gf/df ginger snaps. Low in refined sugar.
Ingredients
  • 16 oz frozen mango chunks*
  • 1/4 cup sweet vermouth
  • ~1/4 cup candied ginger chunks
  • fresh pineapple
  • ginger snaps
Instructions
  1. Allow frozen mango to slightly defrost, about 10 minutes on the counter, you want them to stay partially frozen as you process
  2. Puree half of the mango chunks with half of the sweet vermouth in a food processor
  3. Spoon puree into a tupperware/glassware with a tight fitting lid
  4. Continue process with the other half of the mangos and vermouth and add it to the container
  5. Coarsely chop candied ginger and stir it into the mango puree
  6. Put a lid on the container and freeze until a few minutes before you are ready to serve
  7. Grill pineapple on a clean grill for a few minutes on medium heat (you’ll serve it at room temp so this can be done ahead of time)
  8. Serve the sorbet with slices of grilled pineapple and a few snaps!

*Trader Joe’s sells bags of organic frozen mango chunks and they are always super sweet and tasty.

Another awesome way to serve the sorbet, which I did the first time I made it, is as a float with some sparkling wine and a few frozen serviceberries or blueberries!  Such a lovely refresher on a steamy summer night.