Fresh Pick of the Week: Fresh Cranberries

While we see sweetened, dried cranberries in stores year-round, fresh cranberries seem to only appear around the holidays. Harvested in the fall in northern US states, such as Massachusetts and Washington, cranberries are in season now, and make the perfect addition to holiday meals. With Thanksgiving coming up, try my Homemade Cranberry Sauce, which can be made in about 15 minutes and stored up to a week in the refrigerator. Jar it for a great host gift to whatever feast you're lucky enough to attend!



Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Makes ~3 cups

Ingredients
12 oz fresh cranberries
1 cup water
Juice + zest of one orange
1/4-1/2 cup sugar (to taste)

Directions
In large saucepan or skillet over medium heat, add cranberries, water, and orange juice. Cook, stirring often, until cranberries begin to pop (~5 minutes). Add sugar and orange zest (I recommend adding just 1/4 cup first and tasting as it cooks to see if you prefer more). Continue cooking and stirring ~10 minutes longer, until cranberries all popped and liquid has evaporated, leaving a jelly-like consistency with cranberry pieces.

Portabella Brown Rice Risotto

Looking for a healthy, hearty meal? This risotto is perfect coming up on cold winter nights. I recommend pairing it with whatever wine you're using to cook and a veggie side (like Kale and Sweet Potato Salad!)

The Nutrition Rundown: Whole grain brown rice gives this starchy entree a boost of filling fiber and mushrooms provide a rare food source of bone-building vitamin D (usually from the sun and supplements).

Portabella Brown Rice Risotto

Serves 4 main courses (6-8 side dishes)

Ingredients

Based on 4 servings,
without Parmesan

2 Tbs olive oil

1 pound fresh portabella mushrooms, cleaned and roughly chopped

½ large yellow onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup brown rice

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 Tbs Dry Vermouth

1 quart vegetable broth (low sodium if available)

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oil in large heavy saucepot over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook, tossing frequently, until edging browning, about 3 minutes. Add onions and garlic and continue to cook, tossing frequently, until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add rice cook 2-3 minutes, until slightly fragrant. Stir in salt and pepper.
2.  Pour white wine and vermouth into pot of rice. Stir, scraping bottom of pot. When wine is mostly absorbed, begin adding vegetable broth, ~3/4 cup at a time. Stir continuously. When half broth is absorbed, add another ¾ cup. Continue until all broth has been added and risotto is creamy texture with rice cooked well all the way through--this takes about an hour. 
3. Serve hot, sprinkled with parsley and parmesan (if using). 

Kale Sweet Potato Salad

A colorful, autumnal vegetable dish! This Kale Sweet Potato Salad is a perfect side, or make it into a light entree with some added goat cheese and chopped nuts.

The Nutrition Rundown: Kale packed with vitamin K and calcium is paired with vitamin A-rich orange sweet potatoes for a bone-building, immunity boost...just when you need it most to stay strong and fight germs this winter!

Kale Sweet Potato Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed

2 Tbs olive oil, divided

2 bunches kale, stems removed, chopped into thin strips

¼ medium red onion, small diced

2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

3 Tbs red wine vinegar

2 tsp honey

Salt and pepper

 

Directions

1.  Heat 1 Tbs olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add potato and cook until sides brown and tender, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Add kale and toss together to slightly wilt leaves.
2. In large bowl, whisk onion, red pepper, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper together. Drizzle in remaining 1 Tbs olive oil while continuing to whisk.
3.  Add warm kale and potatoes to dressing and toss together. Refrigerate 15-20 minutes and serve chilled or at room temperature. 

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!