Delicious Fall Recipes!
By Julie Hutsell, LAc
Aaah, the Fall is upon us. Rather than fret about the coming cold of winter as I usually do, I have decided to embrace all that is Fall this year: the beautiful weather, the changing color of the leaves, and the bounty of the harvest. With the Fall, comes delicious seasonal vegetables like winter squash, sweet potatoes, and leafy green vegetables like salad greens, kale, and collard. I am always looking for new and delicious ways to cook with seasonal vegetables, and here are a couple of recipes I have been experimenting with lately- a full meal with spaghetti squash, and a snack or side dish with sweet potatoes. Both of these recipes have very quick prep times- the bulk of the work- the cooking- is done in the oven, which allows you to multi-task with other things! Just remember to set a timer.
Spaghetti Squash with Cashew Alfredo Sauce and Arugula
This is one of my favorite meals to prepare because it is so easy and tasty. The squash gives a feeling of satiety without the heaviness you would feel if you had eaten pasta. Serves 2 very hungry adults, or 3 medium appetites.
1 med large or large spaghetti squash
1 1/2 cups raw cashews
1 1/2 cups water
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1-3 garlic cloves (peeled)
1 tsp sea salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
1 1/2-2 cups fresh arugula (rinsed)
Optional: 1/2 onion peeled and sliced, 12-15 shiitake mushrooms sliced, 1 Tbsp oil (olive oil or coconut)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Rinse squash and stab it several times so that it doesn’t explode when you bake it. Place it on a baking sheet and bake for 45-55 minutes (until it is done).
Cashew Alfredo Sauce:
Place cashews, garlic, water, nutritional yeast, and salt in a blender or food processor.
Blend until smooth and creamy. Add black pepper and blend once more. Voila’! The sauce is done.
When the spaghetti squash is done cooking, remove if from the oven and carefully (with pot holders) transfer it to a cutting board and hold it while you first slice off the stem, and then cut the squash in half lengthwise. Once open, allow it to cool for 10 mins. Then remove the seeds. Once the seeds are removed you can take a fork and fluff up the squash bringing out it’s “spaghetti-like” quality. It should look just like spaghetti. Pour the sauce over the squash (we usually eat it straight out of the squash) and add the arugula on top.
Optional:
After putting the squash in the oven, sauté the onion in oil until translucent, then add sliced shiitake mushrooms. Cook for about 10 minutes until the onion is caramelized and the shiitakes have cooked down. You may need to add a little water to keep them from sticking.
When the squash is done, add the mixture to the squash and then pour the sauce over, and then add the arugula. There will be plenty of sauce left-over to spread on anything your heart desires.
Baked Cinnamon Sweet Potato Bites
This is a wonderful snack that is a great pick-me-up, and will satisfy any sweet craving you may have.
2 large sweet potatoes, diced into cubes
1 Tbsp olive olive
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place cubed sweet potatoes in a large mixing bowl and add the olive oil and stir until the pieces are all coated, then add the salt and cinnamon. Stir again until the pieces are well-coated. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and evenly space out sweet potato cubes. Bake for 20 minutes- then flip potato cubes and bake an additional 20 minutes.
Hope you enjoy, and let me know how you like them!