Hello Fall! Pumpkin spice, orange leaves hitting the ground, and cooler weather!
Moving from summer to fall is such a sweet transition to look forward to! Fall officially begins September 23rd, and although summer tends to linger into fall, it’s a great indication of a change. Fall equinox marks a time of change for most of us, significant holidays start to creep around the corner, and the last three months of the year hit us right in the face!
So why is the Autumn season so amazing?
Well, fall brings such a cozy and warmth to the end of the year. It is filled with warm and yummy food that we didn’t eat in the summer, and now we have the freedom to use fall spices, make soups, and enjoy in-season foods!
The fall season makes its way into our lives without considering our personal lives! So if you are a student always on the go or working a demanding job with little time to spend in the kitchen, don’t feel discouraged when you come home and don’t have the energy to spend hours in the kitchen. So there are many ways you can prepare a healthy, fast, plant-based meal at the end of the day in a jiffy!
Tip #1
Pick Seasonal Foods
If you are not sure where to start when deciding how to cook for the season you’ll want to become familiar with foods that are in season.
Shopping in season is a great way to embrace the season and is also a way to support sustainable agriculture.
| Carrots
July-Nov |
Cauliflower
Aug- Nov |
Collard Greens
July-Dec |
Fennel
October- Nov |
Brussel Sprouts
Sept-Nov |
| Kale
Sept- Nov |
Potatoes
July-October |
Pumpkin
Sept-October |
Spinach
May-October |
Zucchini
June-October |
Another useful tip: download the Seasonal Food Guide app! The app will help you identify foods that are in season based on your region!
Once you have identified seasonal foods, you can narrow down your grocery planning and cooking days! Many of the foods listed can be cooked in many different ways without tasting the same! All you need are tasty spices to diversify your meals while keeping your taste buds and wallet happy! Remember, eating healthy doesn’t have to cost much, and it doesn’t have to take up a lot of time.
Tip #2
Learn Seasonal Spices Pairing
Spices can make a dish taste different with just one pinch! Identifying fall spices will help you create tasty meals without having to purchase a lot of different foods.
Fall is known for amazing spices that go well with both sweet and savory dishes!
Allspice –smells like a combination of cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg.
Pair with: stews, carrots, squash, tomato sauce, cakes & baked goods
Cardamom –made from the seed pods of various plants in the ginger family.
Pairs with: baked goods & stews.
Cinnamon-one of the most popular spices, both on this list and around the world.
Pairs with: pastries, bread, cakes, cookies, pies, sauces, apples, pumpkins, squash, oatmeal & beverages
Cloves -aromatic, popular during the winter holiday season.
Pairs with: cakes, candies, pickles, carrots, onions, potatoes, soups, curry & beans
Pumpkin Spice -isn’t just for pies, though!
Pairs with: desserts, beverages, cookies, cakes, muffins, coffee and hot cocoa.
Nutmeg -unique flavor that complements and enhances many dishes. It can be ground or grated.
Pairs with: primary spice for pumpkin dishes, eggnog, pies, spinach & squash
Tip #3
Easy Cooking: Air Fryers
After a long day of work, it can be hard to find the willpower to cook a healthy meal. You may think you need to spend hours in the kitchen to make a good meal, but you don’t! It’s all about efficiency and simplicity. Luckily, fall weather is accommodating, so turning on the oven can work as a heater for your home alongside cooking meals. If you don’t want to use the stove, there are faster and easier ways to cook your food!
Air Fryers are fast and efficient! You can easily roast sweet potatoes, carrots, Brussel sprouts, and zucchini within 10-15 mins! All you need to do is wash, cut up your food of choice, and add seasoning! The air fryer uses air as heat within a small space to cook food. You can find an air fryer on Amazon or your local Target.
We selected my favorite air fryers available on the market to check for you.
Ninja Air Fryer, Roasting, Reheating & Dehydrating,4-Quart Ceramic Coated Basket
Emeril Lagasse Pressure Cooker, Air Fryer, Steamer & All-in-One Multi-Cooker
Tip #4
Seasonal Food and Microwave
While you are waiting for your food to finish in the air fryer, you can get started microwaving some softer foods like kale and spinach!
Once you chop up your product, you should place them in a microwave-safe bowl with a paper towel over the bowl and cook for about 2 minutes. Then, you can add a sprinkle of nutmeg to the cooked spinach and add it to your dinner plate!
You can also microwave sweet potatoes by washing them, poking holes all around with a fork, placing them over a paper towel, and placing them in the microwave for 4 minutes or until tender! Add allspice or cinnamon to the sweet potato for the extra “fall” kick!
Tips #5
Don’t Forget About Steaming
Steaming is a gentle and simple method to cook food without losing valuable nutrients. This method doesn’t agitate food, and it softens tough food. In this moist-heat cooking method, water is boiled and converted into steam that carries heat to the food.
When hot steam comes into direct contact with the food, it gets cooked. Since water boils at 212 degrees, food cooks at this exact temperature. Steaming is an excellent method to cook vegetables like beans, zucchini, beets, baby carrots, and other green vegetables. The food retains its nutrients by this method because it doesn’t touch the water.
For efficient steaming, you may like to invest in one of these products.
Squish Collapsible Microwave Steamer, Green
Best features:
- Steamer specifically designed for the microwave. 1.25 quart – 5 cup capacity
- Perfect for healthy cooking. Enjoy steamed veggies right from the microwave.
- Collapses for easy storage. Doubles as a serving bowl
BPA free.
Multi-Functional Use Rice Cooker & Food Steamer
Best features:
- Multi-functional use
- Steaming capabilities – steam tray allows you to prepare your veggies above white rice, soup, or any other meal cooks below – allowing you to save time without sacrificing quality.
- Great for soups, jambalaya, chili, and more
Oster Double Tiered Food Steamer
Best feature: Transparent steaming bowls let you see the progress
Rosewill Electric Food Steamer with BPA Free 3 Tier Stackable Baskets
Best feature: Food steamer with 3-tier stackable BPA-free transparent baskets.
Best features:
- Switches to WARM automatically and alerts you with a beep when cooking time is up
- WARM setting runs for one hour then steamer turns off
Tip #6
Get familiar with Poaching
Poaching is a gentle and easy way of cooking that preserves the flavor and nutrients of the food. In this technique, food is gently immersed in a flavored liquid like stock, milk, wine, or aromatics infused in liquid.
The liquid just covers the surface of the food item and low heat is applied to cook it. As a result, the structure of the food is retained while proteins are broken down without losing moisture.
Although poaching is a slow process because of the low temperature at which it is carried out, the resulting food is tender, moist, and flavorful.
Tip #7
Create Beautiful Meals by Spiralizing
Food that looks good appeals better to our taste buds. Don’t you agree?
Spiralizing makes uncooked vegetables and fruits look interesting, making them more fun to eat.
Unlike chopping, which takes effort and energy, spiralizing is easy. The tools used for this purpose are called spiralizers. They have fine blades that slice vegetables or fruits into noodle-like shapes. Spiralized vegetables cook quickly and have interesting textures that make them versatile additions to a variety of dishes
Here are some of the best spiralizers in the market.
Spiralizer 5-Blade Vegetable Slicer, Comes with 4 Recipe Ebooks
Handheld Spiralizer Vegetable Slicer, Adoric 3 in 1 Heavy Duty Veggie Spiral Cutter
Zucchini Pasta Noodle Spaghetti Maker
Tip #8
Incorporate Blending
A blender is a practical kitchen appliance that makes it easy and fun to prepare sauces, dips, soups, and beverages. These devices are gravity fed and have sharp blades to create smooth and creamy pastes.
Blenders can be used to puree hot and cold items. However, they are not the best choice to chop up and break down tough ingredients. Food processors with wider cups and bigger blades serve this purpose better. However, a food processor cannot create smooth and creamy products like smoothies and beverages. When using a blender, you must cut solid items into small pieces. Always leave one-third of the jar empty to allow the liquid to rise during processing.
Begin the blending process at low speed and slowly increase the setting. For effective blending, always add liquids gradually.
Our favorites we own to make your food preparation easy.
Ninja Professional Countertop Blender, 72oz pitcher, 16oz cups
Vitamix 5200 Blender Professional-Grade, 64 oz
Oster Blender | Pro 1200 with Glass Jar, 24-Ounce Smoothie Cup
To wrap up…
Cooking during the fall season should be easy, fun, and tasty! Whether you are coming home from a long day of work or you are ready to enjoy a relaxing weekend, there is always a way to eat healthy without spending a lot of your time in the kitchen. Enjoy these fun and easy tips because once fall is over, we enter the Christmas season, and we know how stressful that can be!
Happy Fall Cooking from Elena! Please tag me on Instagram @cookingmypoundsoff. I would LOVE to hear from you!!!
