Have you noticed vibrant colors appearing outside your windows? How exciting! Autumn is lovely with the crisp, cool air, vivid colors and delicious smells coming from the kitchen. This time of year welcomes you to the kitchen to start making delicious and soul-satisfying meals and indulgences. But, if you’re not careful, it can be easy to overindulge a little too much on the baked goods and seasonal treats.
Eating healthy can be delicious and satisfying. Here are some ideas to get you cooking.
Take advantage of fresh seasonal fruit. Apples are at their height of ripeness right now, along with pears and some berries. Apples and pears shine when roasted with meat dishes, used as a cider to season meats and stews, stuffed with a savory filling and baked or sliced on a fall-inspired pizza with goat cheese, herbs and apples.
Fill up on hearty soups and seasonal garden bounty. For cool fall evenings, hearty soups are simple, filling and warming. Fresh garden tomatoes become roasted tomato soup or a fresh pasta sauce. Winter squash is delicious stuffed with savory meat fillings, chopped in a hearty stew or pureed to a smooth butternut squash soup.
Find sweetness in the simple things. Poached pears, raisin-stuffed baked apples, a simple caramel dip for fresh apples, cookies sweetened with seasonal spices and fruit crisps can all offer a little something sweet without a huge amount of calories.