Fall is here, in full effect!

Its chilly, the leaves are falling, chunky sweaters are the norm, and comfort food recipes are in order!  The following autumn recipes feature the best savory fall flavors and produce.  Who doesn’t love a healthy quinoa salad tossed with apples and butternut squash?

And, all three recipes make great “batch” amounts so it’s easy to enjoy more than once during your busy week.  We have a hearty salad, creamy lentil soup, and a spice filled oat bar to round it out.  Reach out and let us know what you think… Enjoy!

Red Lentil Soup with Lemon

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, more for drizzling
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin 
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper  
• Pinch of ground chile powder or cayenne, more to taste  
• 1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 cups water      
• 1 cup red lentils 
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced  
• Juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

PREPARATION

In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.                                    

Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne, and sauté for 2 minutes longer.                    

Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.

Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup then add it back to pot. Soup should be somewhat chunky. 

Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Serve soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted lightly with chili powder if desired.

*Recipe from The New York Times         

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oat Bars

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree, mashed
• 1 cup runny nut butter (almond, cashew, sunflower seed, or other preference)*
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups gluten free old fashioned oats
• 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8×8 glass baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, whisk/mix together pumpkin puree, nut butter, eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Then fold in oats, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt. Lastly, fold in chocolate chips.
3. Pour mixture into the grease baking dish, spread out evenly, then place in the oven to bake for 40 minutes, until cooked through in the middle. Then cut into bars and serve up! They are DELIGHTFUL when served warm!

Recipe by Paleomg

Fall Harvest Spinach Salad

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa (cooked according to package directions)
• 3/4 cup butternut squash, chopped
• 1 medium apple, peeled and chopped
• 1/3 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds) or pecans
• 3 Tablespoons dried cranberries

Tahini Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing

• 2 Tablespoons tahini
• 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoons low sodium tamari or aminos
• 4 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves of garlic)
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup

INSTRUCTIONS

• Prepare the squash by peeling it, cutting it in half and scraping out the seeds.
• Cut the squash into bite-size cubes, place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and roast at 400° for 30-40 minutes, turning once or twice, until all the pieces are tender and have a few small brown spots.
• If your pepitas or pecans are raw, you can toast them in the oven with the roasting squash. Spread seeds/nuts on a separate baking sheet and add to the oven with the butternut squash for 5 to 10 minutes or until the seeds/nuts are golden and crunchy, then remove from the pan to cool. Be sure to watch the seeds/nuts carefully because they can burn quickly. The pepitas will take less time to toast than the pecans because they’re smaller.
• While roasting the squash, toss together spinach, cooked quinoa, apple and cranberries in a large salad bowl. Add cooled pepitas (or pecans) once they’ve been toasted.
• Prepare dressing by placing all remaining ingredients (tahini through maple syrup) in a blender and blend until smooth.
• Once the butternut squash is done roasting, allow it to cool and then place into the salad bowl with the other ingredients. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

*recipe from www.eatingbirdfood.com

Francesca Quinn
Naturopathic Doctor Denver
(720) 310-0797
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