Everyone is very focused on the holidays and looking forward to Thanksgiving, right? Fall is my favorite season because of all the great foods that come back into season. I wanted to share with you some of my favorites of the seasons. Spoiler alert: you will not see pumpkin on this list. Don’t get me wrong, I love pumpkin but I feel like most people go ga-ga over pumpkin and now we’re in pumpkin overload. I blame it on the pumpkin spice latte.
Root vegetables:
Before weight loss I never met a potato I didn’t like. I loved potatoes and I still do. I just don’t eat them as often as I once did so I began to explore the world of root veggies. I enjoy them all! The best thing about root veggies is they are a set it and forget it type of thing. Roasting root veggies is the way to go.
My favorite root veggies: carrots, turnips (when roasted taste just like potatoes), potatoes, parsnips, radishes. And there are many many squashes that are in season. Willie made the best acorn squash a couple of weeks ago when I was out of town.
And my favorite of them all: sweet potatoes
We have sweet potatoes every week. These potatoes are a crowd pleaser in the house. It never occurred to me that I haven’t really told you what I do the sweet potatoes every week, I just tell you that I have them. I’m very simple.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Peel the sweet potatoes. Place in a baking dish. Sprinkle with black pepper, a touch of cayenne pepper, ginger, and cinnamon. I put 1/2 cup of low sodium chicken broth in the bottom of the dish with a tsp of vanilla extract (if I remember) and cover with foil. I bake the potatoes for 45-60 min (or until soft). I let them sit still covered out of the oven when done and eventually I just mash them up. I don’t put any dairy in it so they can stay in the fridge for longer. It’s one of our favorite things to eat!
Apples:
I LOVE apples! Apples are always a snack in the house, but now that apples are in season I use them in different things. I’ve just been cooking them up and storing them in the fridge for quick bites. I’ve also been adding them into our overnight oats instead of strawberries (which aren’t in season right now). That’s what is so great about the changing seasons, you can make an oldie new again by adding in season fruits and veggies. Apples pair great with pork and work great in salads. They just don’t have to be a snack but apples can be part of the dish too!
There are so many versions of apples it’s hard to keep up. I prefer my apples sweet so I really enjoy Gala, Cortland, Janagold and Cameo apples. Those also tend to be the cheaper apples. But there are so many different varieties, I’m just a little bit on the cheap side because I buy a LOT of apples each week. If I’m paying $2/pound for the fancy Pink Lady or Honey Crisp, I would be spending my entire grocery budget. From time to time, I do buy those though. Willie prefers the Granny Smith apples which are WAY too tart for me. To each his own.
If you want to know about the sweetness and tartness of apples check out this chart! It’s my go-to when I need help deciding on what apples to buy. And then you need to know what apples to bake and cook with, right? So check out this site to get all that great info about which apples are best for each dish!
What kind of apples do you like: sweet or tart?
