Fall Favorites

Almost every Sunday during the fall Ryan and I start our day off by sleeping in, finishing a few chores and preparing to spend the afternoon on the couch yelling at the TV and drinking a few too many beers. Of course this ritual we follow also comes with many delicious meals along the way. Ryan has spent the past few Sunday's trying to make the perfect chili. I have to say he has quite a delicious and somewhat unique recipe going. I am not sure of everything he puts in there, but it starts with ground turkey, stewing beef, beans, onions, green pepper and lots of spicy, smoky seasonings. He even adds a chopped up a chipotle pepper which creates a wonderfully spicy, smoky flavor. At first I told him I thought the recipe had too much meat, but he insists it's important for the right consistency and flavor. For those of you looking for a meat-less chili option, I found this recipe for Black bean mushroom chili that sounds wonderful. I haven't made it yet, but it is definitely on my list!

I love wine and I really love Sangria. When we are having company over to enjoy this chili and yell at the TV with us there is nothing better to add to the mix than this Fall Spiced Sangria. I found the recipe online and modified it to make it easier and tastier (in my opinion!)

Fall Spiced Sangria
1 bottle red wine (any kind will do, but I think a fruity, full-bodied wine works best)
1 organic honeycrisp apple
1 juicy organic navel orange
2 cinnamon sticks
about 2 tablespoons agave nectar (you can use simple syrup too, but agave nectar is a healthier sweetener)
about 1 teaspoon nutmeg
a about a half cup seltzer water
Begin by chopping the apples and oranges into large chunks and putting them in a pitcher. Pour a small amount of the wine in the pitcher and mix and muddle the fruit just a little. Put the rest of the ingredients (except for the seltzer) in the pitcher, stir and let steep for about 4 hours.(You can steep for less, but to get the true apple taste, it's better to let it steep longer) Stir in the seltzer before serving. Enjoy!
NOTE: You can add apple schnapps for a little extra apple flavor if you want. Also, when making sangria it is important to use organic fruits when possible because you use the whole fruit and they steep in the wine.  If they are not organic the wine will soak up all those pesticides for you to drink.... yuck.

Another fall favorite I recently discovered (and love to start my Sunday mornings with) are pumpkin pancakes. We are usually not big pancake eaters but we really like these on crisp fall Sunday mornings.

Pumpkin Pancakes
1 cup flour (I use whole wheat to make them a healthier option)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ginger
1 cup nonfat milk (you can also use soy or almond)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
First, mix all the dry ingredients well. Then blend all wet ingredients together. Gently stir the wet ingredients in with the dry ingredients until there are no lumps. Cook on medium heat until the edges look dry, then flip. These pancakes will be a little dense but that is how they should turn out. Serve with real maple syrup for a great fall brunch!

I am a summer girl at heart, but these recipes really help me get in the spirit and appreciate fall time. Hopefully they will help you appreciate this beautiful time of year too!

Happy Eating!

Mexican! (Need I say more?)

Who doesn't love Mexican food? There are so many wonderful flavors and ingredients, the possibilities are endless! With the weather getting colder I have been making soups more, so yesterday I decided to try making posole (or pozole if you prefer ;-). If you are not familiar with this wonderful soup, you will want to be! It was first made by ancient Mexicans who believed it was a "bowl of many blessings". My version might be slightly different than the way it was originally made in Mexico, but it was definitely a bowl of much deliciousness.

Posole
- about 1 tbspn olive oil
- 1 lean pork tenderloin cut into bite size pieces (I used two pork chops and they worked well too)
- chipotle chili seasoning (about 2 teaspoons)
- 1 (15 oz) can white hominy
- 1 (15 oz) can stewed tomatoes with jalapenos
- 1-2 cups water
- about 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Heat a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with olive oil and cover pork evenly with the chipotle seasoning. Cook the pork for about 4 minutes or until browned. Stir in hominy, tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes to an hour (or until the pork is tender). Stir in cilantro before serving.

While this soup doesn't offer the most nutrient dense foods, it is low in fat and high in flavor! We ate ours with some homemade cheddar jalapeno bread I bought at the farmers market this past weekend which was a delicious! You can also serve this with pineapple avocado salsa and chips.

Pineapple & Avocado salsa
Mix together chopped pineapple, chopped avocado, about half a diced jalapeno and cilantro. Squeeze a little lime juice and serve with tortilla chips. This salsa is also really good with tacos (especially fish tacos!)

Comer Feliz!