Fresh Pick of the Week: Persimmons

Persimmons are a seasonally fall and winter fruit, in-season October through February, but they have the delightfully sweet taste of many tropical and summer produce. The fuyu variety that I found at the Melrose Place Farmer's Market are great sliced up and eaten as is (they're so sweet, they taste like dessert!). They'd also make great additions to a seasonal fall smoothie or fresh salsa. They are rich in vitamin A like so many seasonal fall produce, and they get their sweetness from their high sugar content (those I grabbed are a perfect single fruit serving portion). When picking persimmons up in weeks to come, select based on the same characteristics you'd look for in a tomato (like a little give when squeezed).

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Try storing/transporting in muffin tins 

A delicious alternative to cupcakes?! WHOOPIE! I've never been a huge cupcake fan- I find them difficult to eat and don't love the cake-to-frosting ratio. These Pumpkin Whoopie Pies are a great take on a personal frosted dessert.  The cream cheese filling makes them not-too-sweet. The pumpkin and spices give them those great fall flavors I can't seem to get enough this autumn, from pumpkin-themed breakfasts to desserts.

Trick-or-TREAT!

I brought (and ate!) them at a recent Halloween party. They'd also make an excellent Thanksgiving treat or surprise dessert for co-workers/friends.

The Nutrition Rundown: Pre-portioned, satisfying, flavorful! Make them bite-size if you're watching calories, and make sure to SHARE.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Makes ~3 dozen small pies

For Pumpkin Cookies

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 Tbs cinnamon

1 Tbs ground ginger

1 Tbs ground cloves

2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

3 cups pumpkin puree

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

For cream-cheese frosting:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup butter, softened

16 oz cream cheese, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ cup finely chopped walnuts

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Whisk flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in large bowl. In separate bowl, whisk together brown sugar and oil. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, and vanilla and whisk until combined. Whisk flour mixture into pumpkin mixture slowly until fully mixed.
3. Line 2 large baking sheets with wax or parchment paper. Using an ice cream scoop, drop tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets. Transfer to oven and bake until toothpick inserted into cookie comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on pan or cooling racks. Let cool completely before beginning assembly with frosting.
4.  While cookies bake, make the frosting. In an electric mixer with paddle or whisk attachment, beat butter until fluffy. Add cream cheese and mix to combine. Add sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth and fully mixed. Transfer to pastry bag or ziplock bag- snip end of bag.
5. Place walnuts on plate and set aside. Assemble whoopie pies by piping frosting onto one cookie and sandwiching with another cookie, pressing down slightly to allow frosting to ooze to edges. Roll exterior frosting in chopped walnuts. Place assembled whoopie pies in parchment-lined container covered with lid or plastic wrap. Refrigerate cookies before serving, up to 3 days. 

Fresh Pick of the Week: Beets

Roasted Beets and Carrots with cooked Beet Greens

Both the red or golden root and leafy greens of this year-round vegetable are great for fall and winter dishes. The combination of the betacyanins (how beets get their vibrant color!) and filling-fiber in these roots may protect against colon cancer and help to keep your digestive system running regularly. Don't be alarmed by the red color in your toilet- it's just a sign of the beets keeping things moving :)

We often see cooked red beets on salads paired with goat cheese and walnuts, but you can get quite creative with this tasty vegetable. Try the root (red or golden) cut up raw in matchsticks, roasted with carrots (like pictured) or even pickled. Make sure you grab a bunch with the green tops too; the greens are slightly sweet- I love them sauteed with olive oil, garlic and crushed red pepper.




To simply roast a beet:

• Slice off the green tops (and reserve for another yummy use). Scrub the exterior with a wet towel.
• Wrap the root in tin foil, poke with a fork a couple times. 
• Place on a baking dish also covered with foil in the oven at 375 degrees for about 1 hour (until fork-tender), rotating halfway through. (Why all the foil? Beets have natural sugar in them. Using the foil will help protect your oven and baking dish from the caramelized sugar this process will produce.) 

Fresh Pick of the Week: Kabocha Squash

When that fall chill hits the air, my palate immediately craves winter squash. Kabocha squash, or Japanese Pumpkin, is available year-round due to its lengthy growing/harvesting season. The sweet-potato like flavor and pumpkin-like texture though lend themselves well to a hearty fall meal. Substitute it in recipes calling for pumpkin or try the squash and its seeds roasted (recipe below!). 

 Kabocha is packed with beta-carotene for healthy eyes and skin and full of fiber (especially in the skin!) to make you feel full longer.  So grab one of these green "pumpkins" at your local farmers market or store and give it a try! 

Roasted Kabocha Squash (+ seeds!)

Ingredients

2 Tbs + 1 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp dried thyme leaves

Preheat oven to 400. Slice kabocha squash in half. Scoop out seeds and and set aside. Slice squash into 1/2 inch thick crescents.  Toss crescents with 2 Tbs olive oil and spices until evenly coated. Spread evenly on cookie sheet. Roast in oven for 45 minutes, flipping halfway through. 

 Rinse kabocha seeds and dry. Toss seeds in 1 tsp olive oil, thyme, coriander and pinch of sea salt. Place on cookie sheet and roast in 400 degree oven for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from oven and set aside.

A New Hike: Topanga State Park Parker Mesa Overlook

View from Parker Mesa Overlook

A couple weekends ago I did my favorite LA hike to-date: Topanga State Park's Parker Mesa trail. A rolling 3 miles each way, the trail is quite user-friendly and leads to the Parker Mesa Overlook, which is the most beautiful view of LA I have seen yet! The hike in total took us about 2-2.5 hours (including time spent on all these photos and soaking in the gorgeous sights).

Directions: From the Topanga State Park parking lot off Entrada Road, begin at the obvious trail head. You'll walk ~1/4 mile before you see a sign indicating the Parker Mesa overlook to the right. GO THERE!



Tips: Bring water, watch out for mountain bikers.

Fresh Pick of the Week: Figs

Figs are plentiful at local markets throughout the summer and fall. We are nearing the end of the second harvest (the first being at the beginning of the summer), so get them while you can! They come in different varieties, and all have a sweet, seedy center and are packed with keep-you-young-and-healthy antioxidants and fill-you-up fiber. Try them made into jam, mixed into yogurt, or sliced onto salads. Mark Bittman has some great salad suggestions using figs, like my favorite:

Toss mâche or another soft green with toasted slivered almonds and roughly chopped fresh figs. Thin some almond butter with water and sherry vinegar to taste and use as a dressing. Some will like this with fresh goat cheese.

Low-Fat Pumpkin Pancakes

Try them with low-fat Greek yogurt and raisins

What could be better than a hearty, delicious, HEALTHY fall breakfast?  A breakfast of the usual buttermilk pancakes + syrup can leave you hungry shortly after you've downed a stack because it's full of only simple carbs (aka no fiber or protein) . That's why I love weekend pancake makeovers. I hope this low-fat, fiber-rich, tasty recipe will leave you satisfied and in a happy autumn mood!

The Nutrition Rundown: 

• Whole wheat flour for fill-you-up fiber
• Applesauce subbed for butter to reduce fat and calories



A crowd pleaser!

• Pumpkin for fall flavor and vitamin A (healthy skin and immune system!) 

Pumpkin Pancakes

Serves 4

(8 medium pancakes or 4 large)

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour

2 Tbs raw turbinado sugar (white sugar works if you don’t have this)

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp ground cloves

1 cup skim milk

¼ cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

2 Tbs unsweetened applesauce

1 large egg, beaten

Oil or pan spray

Directions

The recipe's nutrition facts

1.  Combine all dry ingredients (flour through spices) in medium mixing bowl. Whisk together to combine.
2.  In separate bowl, whisk together milk, pumpkin, applesauce, and egg.
3. Fold wet ingredients into dry until well mixed.
4. Heat griddle or skillet over medium heat. Coat/Spray with cooking oil.
5. One pan is pre-heated, pour ~1/4 cup batter per pancake onto pan for 8 pancakes, or ~1/2 cup batter for 4 large pancakes. Once top bubbles, flip and heat on other side.

Serve with butter and maple syrup or try with applesauce, Greek yogurt and raisins for something different!  

Papilles Bistro

Had an incredible dinner out with friends this weekend at Papilles Bistro in Hollywood. They serve ingredient-focused, simply delicious French food. With a $38 prix-fixe menu, we got to try a little bit of each thing, including a of wine I snagged from the excellent retail shelf collection.

The menu changes nearly every week, but here is what we enjoyed:

Beef tongue, roast plum and fig.
Citrus cured prawn, white peach, tarragon vanilla vinaigrette.
-
Hanger steak au poivre, squash, tomatoes.
Monchong, artichokes barigoule, jus.
-
Apple Tatin and Cheese

Pumpkin Gingersnap Ice Cream

Another great use of the ice cream maker! Last time turned out so well, I decided to try a fall-themed concoction. I loved this recipe for Pumpkin Ice Cream because it didn't involve making a stove-top custard first like many recipes require. Just pour ingredients into the ice cream maker and turned it on. Then add the crushed gingersnaps for the last few minutes of churning.

If you don't have an ice cream maker, grab some store-bought pumpkin ice cream (like Graeter's...yum!) and gingersnap cookies. Eat as-is or make mini ice cream sandwiches.

The Nutrition Rundown: The real deal! Good enough to satisfy in a small, delicious portion :)

Black Bean Dip

Quick and homemade appetizer? Yes please! I made this TWICE this week when friends came for dinner. It's great paired with Food Should Taste Good Jalepeno Chips (pictured), crackers, or toasted pita. If you don't have a food processor, just go to work with a masher (bonus: arm workout!). 

The Nutrition Rundown: High protein, High fiber.

Check out some of my other appetizer favorites from earlier this year here.  

Black Bean Dip

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients

2 cloves garlic

1 15oz can black beans (I like “no salt added” or “low sodium”)

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

~1-2 Tbs olive oil

~1 Tbs toasted sesame oil (if you don’t have this, substitute all olive oil)

½ cup chopped fresh parsley

Pulse garlic cloves in food processor for a few seconds until chopped. Add black beans, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper. Pulse until mixed. While continuing to pulse, pour in both oils slowly through hole at top of food processor. Pulse until smooth.

In a bowl, combine dip with fresh parsley. Serve with chips or crackers.