Fall Recipe Line Up
Creamy Carrot Soup
I don’t eat a ton of cooked carrots any more (because the sugar in cooked carrots is higher than raw carrots), but when I do, it’s this carrot soup.
Autumn Fig Upside Down Cake
They are on my list of top 5 favorite fruits, they satisfy my occasional sweet tooth craving, since I have cut out refined sugars from my diet. I snack on fresh figs often when in season and love to include them in an arugula salad with walnuts and fresh goat cheese. Figs are high in fiber, so they make a great natural laxative.
Garlicky Lemony Artichoke Dip with Crispy Shallots
This dip is a real crowd pleaser. Perfect for entertaining, the last time I made it, it disappeared in 5 minutes flat, I am not exaggerating. I think it was the crispy charred shallots. The artichoke dip itself, is made with canned or jarred artichokes, available year round. It is garlicky, lemony and creamy, great with sliced vegetables, almond crackers or chips.
Baked Millet Morning Porridge with Spiced Apples
It’s cooling down a bit this week on the West Coast and this dish is the perfect cozy, cinnamony, filling and warm breakfast dish for chilly mornings although I do enjoy it as an afternoon snack. I love serving it with a bit of extra nut milk, sheep yogurt or dollop of coconut whip cream, my guilty pleasure is Truwhip.
Mushroom Medley, Garnet Yam and Swiss Chard Soup
The health benefits of mushrooms are no longer a secret. The supplement aisle in your natural food market is robust with medicinal mushrooms for the immune system, the brain and beyond. Culinary mushrooms are also vast in variety from the aromatic shiitake to the earthy cremini, and mushrooms, no doubt are one of my favorite foods, ever.
Lemon Parsley Almond Pesto
My mom made something like this for me years ago in Italy. It was so different from the delicious and popular Genovese-style, basil and pine nut pesto (which I love by the way). So fresh and vibrant with the lemony citrus tang, the nuttiness of the Almonds and the kick of fresh parsley.
Saffron Cauliflower Soup
Cauliflower takes center stage in this soup. A nutritional power house, cauliflower is packed with antioxidants and phytonutrients including Vitamin C, beta-carotene, and Vitamin K, amongst others. The saffron and Tahini give this creamy and velvety soup a smoky and rich flavor. It’s a great starter soup or side-by-side a big salad for a late supper.
Purple Sweet Potato Tahini Dip
Recently, I have been playing around with a bean-free hummus and purple sweet potato hit the mark. Smooth and creamy and oh so beautiful with it’s vibrant purple color. Perfect, served as a crudité appetizer with fresh veggies and grain-free crackers or Cassava chips, as I did for our last Super Bowl gathering.
Millet Cakes with Fresh Herb Yogurt Sauce
In the past two years I have cut out most grains as part of the Plant Paradox way of eating. Grains can cause inflammation in the body. For myself I have noticed my joints feel much better without grains in my system. One of the grains that gets the green light in the lectin-free way of eating is millet. It has a delicate and neutral flavor, a little nutty and buttery and a fluffy consistency once cooked, almost mash potato-like.
Sweet Potato & Garlicky Kale Tacos
This recipe was featured in the Fall issue of Naturally Danny Seo. Now that that issue is off the news stand, I am sharing the recipe here too. I’ll keep you posted for my upcoming column in this quarterly, healthy living magazine, founded by my friend and sustainable living lifestyle guru, Danny Seo.