Apple, Gouda, and Walnut Salad with Cider Vinaigrette

If you're me, then when fall comes, you can't get enough of apples. That means that when it comes time for lunch, you want to throw together a salad that involves apples. And you want to make it as full of apples as you can, so of course you make that cider vinaigrette recipe that you've had bookmarked for about a year. Luckily, this will not be challenging, and in about ten minutes you'll have a fresh and delicious salad, and you will be satisfied. I made this for myself, but I've scaled the recipe to throw together for four.

Ingredients

8-10 cups leafy greens (I used a salad mix from the market; pick your favorite)

2 medium apples, cored and roughly chopped

1/2 cup walnuts

4 oz gouda cheese, shaved (or gorgonzola cheese)

Cider Vinaigrette:

taken from NPR's Kitchen Window

1 cup apple cider, boiled down to 1/2 cup*

2 Tbsp cider vinegar

1 tsp maple syrup

1 shallot, finely minced (or 1/8 tsp garlic powder + 1/8 tsp onion powder)

1/2 tsp salt

black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Blend dressing ingredients together (or shake vigorously in a sealed jar). Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week.

2. Toss together salad ingredients, and drizzle with dressing. Serve immediately.

Serves 4-6

*OK, full disclosure - I used 1/2 cup apple cider as is, which tasted just fine. It made for a thin vinaigrette, though, and I like mine a bit thicker.

Cinnamon Apple Syrup; Or, Upcycling Apple Peels

I've mentioned how much I love apples, and how much my day was made when I brought home 4 pecks of apples (McIntosh, Jonathon, Golden Delicious and Braeburn). Recently, two of those pecks went into a giant pot to be cooked down into a delicious applesauce, which was processed and resulted in 5 quarts of homemade applesauce taking their proud place in my pantry. More recently, another peck became some heavenly apple butter. The by-product of this process, of course, was a rather large pile of apple peels. In the spirit of not letting such a useful by-product go to waste (perhaps the apple version of "everything but the squeal"), I cobbled together a recipe to make use of the perfectly good peels. This tasty and apple-y syrup can be used on top of waffles, pancakes, ice cream, baked apples, or whatever you might like to eat with syrup. I had apple cider around, so added that in to give even more apple flavor, but it's not necessary. Also, although I was going through a rather large quantity of peels, this recipe can be scaled down easily if you didn't go apple crazy. You can add the cores to the steeping step too; just make sure to cut off the stems and the bottom end. If a sweet syrup isn't your thing, there are other ways you can use peels, like this, or this.

Note on the apple peels: if you're buying non-organic apples from the grocery store, make sure that you wash them thoroughly if you wish to use the peels. They're covered with pesticides and wax, which you probably don't want to eat. Mine were directly from an orchard that uses minimal pesticides, so a quick soak in vinegar and water was sufficient.)

Ingredients

4 quarts (16 cups) apple peels

6 cups brown sugar

2 quarts (8 cups) water

4 cups apple cider (or more water)

2 Tbsp ground cinnamon or 2 sticks

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 cup lemon juice (if canning)

Directions

1. Combine apple peels, water, cider, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a 6 quart slow cooker. Turn cooker on high, and allow mixture to steep for 3-4 hours.

2. Place a double thickness of cheesecloth in a colander, and place over a 6 quart stockpot. Pour (or scoop, if your slow cooker bowl is not removable) contents into colander, gently pressing to extract the liquid. Discard peels, or come up with yet another use for them!

3. Take strained liquid and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Turn heat down and allow to simmer, with stirring, until liquid is a thin syrup (reduced to about half the liquid volume). This may take 2 or more hours.

4. At this point, syrup can be poured directly into jars to refrigerate, or processed. In order to process, sterilize 4 pint glass jars by boiling in a large canning pot, and ladle some of the hot liquid into a small bowl with the lids to sterilize them as well.

5. Just before pouring syrup into jars, add lemon juice and stir well. Ladle into jars, leaving 1/2" headspace. Wipe rim clean and place lids on top, screwing bands finger tight.

6. Process jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes from the time a full boil is reached. After 10 minutes, turn off heat and allow jars to rest for 5 minutes in pot. Carefully remove from pot and place on a dry towel. Allow to cool, undisturbed, for 12-24 hours. After 2 hours or so, gently push down center of lids to make sure they've sealed (if they pop back, they haven't sealed).

Makes 4 pints

Vegan Apple Flaxseed Walnut Muffins

No, I'm not vegan. The great thing, though, is you don't have to be vegan to enjoy these muffins, and you don't have to feel guilty about indulging either. With whole grains, oil replaced with apple butter, and healthy fats and protein from the flax seeds and walnuts, there's a lot to like about these muffins. They're hearty, and yet light, with just the right amount of sweetness from a little maple syrup. Also, they're screaming with apple flavor (grated apples, diced apples, and apple butter), and anything that's made with apples is going to be good. If there's anything better than that, it's that the muffins come together quickly. Really, there's no downsides here.

Ingredients

2 cups spelt flour (or whole wheat flour)

1 Tbsp flax seed

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground allspice

pinch nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp ground flaxseed + 5 Tbsp water

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup apple butter (or applesauce)

3/4 cup coconut milk (or almond or soy, if you have on hand)*

1 cup peeled, grated tart apple (1 large or 2 small)

1 cup diced, unpeeled sweet apple (1 medium)

1/2 cup chopped, toasted walnuts

Directions

1. Combine flax seed and 5 Tbsp water in a small bowl; set aside for 10-15 min, or until a gel has formed.

2. Meanwhile, combine flour, whole flax seed, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, combine flaxseed gel, maple syrup, apple butter, and grated apple.

4. Stir wet ingredients into dry, just until combined.

5. Gently fold in chopped apple and walnuts.

6. Spoon batter into a muffin pan lined with paper cups or lightly greased. Top muffins with extra chopped walnuts if desired.

7. Bake muffins in a 350 degrees F oven for 30 min, or until tops are golden .

8. Allow muffins to cool in pan for 10 min, then switch over to a wired cooling rack. Allow to cool completely, but also don't feel guilty about grabbing a still-warm muffin to stuff in your face. :)

*If you have unsweetened coconut lying around, don't go buying a can of coconut milk. It's really easy to make your own, and you can make exactly as much as you want. For the amount in this recipe, I put 1/2 cup coconut in a blender, then added 1 1/4 cup boiling water, and blended for 15-20 sec. Allow to sit for 5-10 min, then filter through a fine mesh colander to remove solids. I also let the solids dry out, so I can incorporate them when I make this.

Squash & Black Bean Wraps with Chile-Lime Sauce

Fall means apples (which are the BEST), but fall also means squash, which is pretty good too. Especially because squash are flavorful and good sources of vitamins and minerals (especially vitamins A & C, potassium, and manganese). So I took inspiration from this recipe and made it my own, roasting chunks of butternut squash with cumin and olive oil, then tossing them in a zesty chili-lime sauce with black beans, and wrapping it all up for an easy, delicious and nutritious meal.

Ingredients

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1" cubes (~2 lbs)

1 1/2 cups black beans, cooked (1 14 oz can, drained & rinsed)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1-2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 recipe chili-lime sauce (see below)

6 large whole wheat tortillas

fresh cilantro or arugula, for garnish

Chile-Lime Sauce:

1/3 cup lime juice

1 small serrano chile, seeded and finely diced

2 Tbsp fresh cilantro

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp ground chipotle pepper

pinch salt

1/4 cup low fat plain greek yogurt

Directions:

1. Spread squash on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with cumin and salt, then toss to coat.

2. Roast squash in a 400 degree F oven until tender and slightly browned (35-40 min), flipping pieces about halfway through.

3. Meanwhile, combine ingredients for chili-lime sauce, except for yogurt, in a blender. Puree, then heat in a small saucepan just until boiling. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Once cool, stir chili-lime mixture into yogurt.

4. Combine squash in a bowl with black beans. Drizzle chili-lime sauce over all, and toss to coat. Scoop mixture into tortillas, then top with cilantro or arugula.

Serves 6

Note: these wraps can be enjoyed warm or cold! I made up the mixture, then stored it in an airtight container in the fridge, and have been scooping out some to make up a fresh wrap each day for my lunch.

Apple & Goat Cheese Mini Calzones with Cider Mustard

This past Saturday I woke up to a chilly breeze coming through my bedroom window. The farmer's market was brimming with acorn squash, pumpkins, and apples. I don't care that it's early September, I have declared the arrival of fall (my favorite season). So of course I made a trek to the apple orchard. In spite of a rough season, with a spring freeze and brutal drought, I was still able to come home with 4 brimming pecks of fresh apples and a gallon of cider. I wait the entire year for this time to come around again; I love most fruits, but nothing compares to apple season. I could probably go all Bubba Blue with apples, listing off the many apple concoctions I've made (or my mom made while I was growing up) and love...and no doubt you'll see some of my favorites in the coming weeks. 

For now, we'll start with something a little different - a savory apple dish. After all, why should we limit the delicious apple to only sweet dishes? The combination of the sweet-tart apple with mildly tangy goat cheese and a judicious sprinkling of herbs in a hearty whole wheat crust is perfect, and when you dip it into a little cider mustard, it's the way that fall should be. The mini calzones come together really quickly, so your gratification need not be delayed (to be particularly efficient, you can slice the onions with a mandoline - I did - and prepare the other ingredients while the onions cook). If you choose to make the homemade mustard, I would recommend doing that a couple of days in advance, since fresh mustard is really potent. You can also cheat and mix brown sugar and cider into quality store-bought Dijon mustard if you don't have the patience. Another bonus is that the calzones freeze well, so you can pop them out of the freezer and enjoy a little apple-y deliciousness long after apple season is over.

Apple & Goat Cheese Mini Calzones

recipe adapted from Sprouted Kitchen

1 recipe whole wheat pizza dough (pick your favorite)

1/2 Tbsp butter

1 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced

1 large crisp apple

6 oz chevre goat cheese

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese 

2 tsp dried thyme (or 2 Tbsp fresh)

1 tsp dried rosemary (or 1 tsp fresh)

olive oil and sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

2. If making your own dough, make it first and allow to rise.

3. While dough rises, combine butter and onion in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions have "carmelized" (are mostly browned). This will take 15-20 min.

4. Peel and dice apple. Combine goat cheese, Parmesan cheese, thyme, and rosemary in a bowl.

5. Roll dough out into a rectangle, and cut into 12 3x3" squares.

6. Top squares successively with onion slices, apple, and a dollop of cheese mixture.

7. Fold top over filling mixture, and tuck in edges to seal. Brush tops with olive oil and a light sprinkling of sea salt.

8. Place calzones on a pizza stone or baking sheet generously sprinkled with cornmeal. Bake at 500 degrees F until tops are golden and crispy. Cool for a few minutes before serving (or, cool completely and store in airtight bags in the freezer for up to 3 months). Dip in cider mustard or your preferred dipping sauce.
Serves 3-4 as a main dish, or 6 as an appetizer

Cider Mustard

recipe adapted from The Homemade Pantry

1/2 cup mustard seeds, mixture of yellow and brown

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup fresh apple cider

3 Tbsp dark brown sugar

1 tsp salt, heaping

Directions:

1. Place mustard seeds in a glass pint jar or medium mixing bowl, and add enough water to cover seeds by 3 inches. Allow to soak at room temperature for ~12 h or overnight.

2. Drain excess water from seeds. Add to a blender with the remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth.

3. Chill in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving, or store in a non-reactive container in the fridge for 2 months (will probably last longer than that, use your judgement). Mustard will be quite spicy to begin with, but will mellow within a few days.
Makes ~1 1/2 cups mustard

Slow Cooker Market Vegetarian Chili

OK, so it's early September, it's 80 degrees out, and probably the last thing on your mind is curling up with a hot bowl of chili. However, both cross-country (important to me) and American football (important to other people) started their seasons this past weekend, so I take that as justification for thinking about autumn. What's more, there's all sorts of delicious produce in season right now (tomatoes and peppers galore) that's just asking to be mixed up into a delicious chili. I took a mixture of heirloom and juicy red tomatoes, a rainbow of peppers (bell peppers, poblanos, and hot peppers), fresh corn, and a hearty mixture of beans for a filling, flavorful, and delicious vegan chili. The best part is that once you've peeled and chopped your veggies, you can throw everything in the slow cooker and forget about it until you're ready to devour.

I don't have a cornbread recipe to go with this post, but chili and cornbread are two things that should definitely go together, so I highly recommend whipping up your favorite version of cornbread (I really like this cornmeal, by the way, which is GMO-free, economically priced, and locally produced in Indiana - and you can get it naturally blue!).

Also, if you want to take advantage of the abundance of produce in your garden or local farmer's market but can't bring yourself to eat a bowl of chili in the late summer heat, this chili freezes well in airtight containers, so it'll be waiting for you on that first nippy day in late fall.

Ingredients

1 cup dry black beans (or 14 oz can)

1 cup dry pinto beans (or 14 oz can)

1 cup dry great northern beans (or 14 oz can)

3-4 lbs tomatoes, peeled, seeded & chopped (I used the tomatoes shown & supplemented with a 28 oz can of organic diced tomatoes)

2 green/purple bell peppers, diced

4 poblano peppers, diced

2 small jalepeno peppers, diced (or more if you like your chili hot!)

3-4 ears of corn (~2 cups kernels)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp ground cumin

1/2-1 tsp dried chipotle pepper

salt, to taste

Directions

1. If using dry beans: rinse beans, then mix together, cover with water, and allow to soak in a 6 quart slow cooker at room temperature overnight (no heat!). First thing in the morning, turn on the slow cooker to high, and allow beans to cook for ~1 hour. Pour off water before adding other ingredients.

2. If using canned beans, add them now. Stir in chopped tomatoes, peppers, corn, and garlic. Add in a little tomato sauce if there doesn't seem to be enough liquid (I added ~1/2 cup). Cook chili on high (~3 hours) or low (~6 hours), or until beans are tender.

3. At end of cooking, add in cumin and chipotle pepper, and salt, if using (since I used canned tomatoes and like to keep the sodium low, I didn't add any additional salt). Allow to cook on low for another 10-20 min, and adjust seasonings to taste.

Chocolate Coconut Energy Bars

As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. So when I ran out of energy bars and realized that I was also out of the tahini that I normally use for these bars, I had to get creative. Luckily, I had a jar of almond butter and a craving for chocolate, so out came a new version of energy bars. The cherries of the original version would be just as tasty here, but I decided to switch things up and add in banana chips (bananas are rich in potassium, a useful electrolyte). Dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants, and is also delicious, so the touch of chocolate and cocoa in these bars will certainly encourage you to get the energy you need for running...or whatever activity you've got going on.

See the link above for my rant on how important fueling is for running (spoiler: it's very important!). These bars will help you take in the calories you need, with loads of protein, carbohydrates, and nutrients to keep you going. They are gluten-free (if you have celiac disease, make sure the oats haven't come into contact with wheat), and can be made vegan if the honey is swapped out for maple syrup. The best part of all is that they taste great, and they're cheap and easy to make, so you can feel good about yourself all around!

Ingredients

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

3/4 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup sesame seeds

2 oz good quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped

3/4 cup dried unsweetened banana chips, chopped

2 Tbsp chia seeds

1/4 cup natural cocoa

1 1/2 cups almond butter (or other natural nut/seed butter)*

1 cup wildflower honey (or 3/4 cup maple syrup if you want it vegan)

1 tsp vanilla

Directions

1. Soak banana chips in water for 20-30 min (basically until they're chewy), then drain.

2. Combine oats, coconut, almonds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, chocolate, and chia seeds
in a large bowl.

3. Stir together honey (or maple syrup) and almond butter in a glass 4 cup measure, and heat in microwave for 1 min. Stir in vanilla.

4. Add wet mixture to dry, and stir in banana chips as well until mixture is well combined. Spread mixture onto a lightly greased 13x9" baking sheet.

5. These bars can be easily eaten raw, but can also be baked for 10-15 min in a 325 degree F oven. Slice into bars (I usually cut it into 20). Store in an airtight container at room temp for 1-2 weeks, or freeze for up to 3 months.

*if you choose to use almond butter (I use it, because I have a husband who's moderately allergic to peanuts), don't go running out to the store to buy a jar, which costs $9 or more for a 1 lb jar. If you have a food processor, you can make any nut or seed butter you want. Just buy the raw or roasted nuts, roast in a 325 degree F oven if needed until fragrant, then cool and process, adding in small amounts of a neutral oil (canola or sunflower) until desired consistency is reached. You can process them raw as well if you prefer, and you can flavor it however you want. You've just saved half your money and made a much more delicious nut butter yourself!