Odes to Autumn: Giving Thanks for Sprouts!

Yes, Brussels sprouts. The unsung heroes of Autumn. I used to hate them when we would have them at Christmas dinner but The New York Times hit it on the head with the claim that part of the reason they have risen in popularity is due to their genius paring with bacon.

Everything is better with bacon, no? (Actually, everything is better with cheese, in my opinion, but bacon's good too...)

Well, I thought that there had to be some Thanksgiving inspiration in this series of odes to the wonderful season of Autumn and this dish would make a perfect side, if you're cooking.

Brussels Sprouts, Bacon and Figs

Ingredients

4 to 8 ounces bacon, chopped

1 pound Brussels sprouts, stems trimmed

1 cup dried figs, stemmed and quartered

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, or more to taste.

Directions

1. Put a large skillet over medium heat and add oil, then bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to crisp, 5 to 8 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, put sprouts through feed tube of a food processor equipped with a slicing attachment and shred. (You can also do this with a mandoline or a knife.)

3. Add sprouts, figs and 1/4 cup water to pan; sprinkle with salt and pepper, turn heat to medium, and cook, undisturbed, until sprouts and figs are nearly tender, about 5 to 10 minutes. Turn heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until any remaining water evaporates, another 5 to 10 minutes. Add vinegar, taste, adjust seasoning and serve.

Yield: 4 servings.

An absolute delight. I halved the listed recipe but next time I would add more than 4oz of bacon. I also wouldn't add any additional salt - the bacon brings plenty of that!

When I asked on my Thanksgiving Inspiration post about people's favourite Thanksgiving dishes, Megan from The Runner's Kitchen left me a comment with a recipe for Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Onions and Golden Raisins. Sounds fabulous to me! Check it out here. Thanks Megan!

More love for Brussels Sprouts? Let it be known!

Happy Thanksgiving.

The Winter of Soups: Mulligatawny

Dan wants to dub this coming winter "The Winter of Soups" and just eat that until Spring comes around. I say, yay. Making soup at home is so fun, so easy and provides many portions of leftovers for deliciously warming lunches.

So, we got a head start on winter with today's soup: Mulligatawny. Mulliga-what? I hear you ask. That's what I said. According to my main man Mark (Bittmann), this just means Spicy Indian Vegetable Soup. How could I resist, considering my mad love of Indian food? I could not...

Mulligatawny (Spicy Indian Vegetable Soup)


The brilliant thing about this soup is that you could totally make it non-spicy and non-Indian by omitting the cumin, turmeric, and curry powder and substituting the cilantro for parsley. Serving it up with fresh Parmesan would take it a million miles away from this spicy dish but if you ask me, this way's a winner!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup neutral oil (grape seed or corn)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon tumeric
• 2 cups hard vegetables (I used potatoes and parsnips, cut into smaller than 1/4 inch cubes)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 cups vegetable broth (I like to use low-sodium)
  
• 1 cup peeled, seeded and chopped tomato
• 2 cups soft vegetables (I used zucchini and green beans), cut into smaller than 1/2 inch dice
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
  
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

• Put 3 tablespoons of the oil into a large, deep pot over medium heat. When hot, add the onion, carrot, celery, cumin, and turmeric. Cook, stirring, until the onion softens, about five minutes.
• Add the hard vegetables and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for a minute or two, then add the stock and tomato; bring to a boil, then lower the heat so the mixture bubbles gently. Cook, stirring every now and then, until the vegetables are fairly soft, about 15 minutes.
  
• Add the soft vegetables, cilantro and curry powder and adjust the heat once again so the mixture simmers. Cook until all the vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, add the remaining tablespoon of oil and serve.

We had some crusty white bread on the side, with butter and cheddar cheese, mainly because I cannot resist it, but naan bread would be delicious with this soup. And red wine, of course.


Soups are genuinely one of my favourite aspects of Autumn and Winter. I love how versatile soup can be and how many many variations there are - it really can be whatever you want it to be. I don't own a blender so my soup-making is definitely limited but there are still so many options! And personally, chunky, hearty soups are my fave.

Since Dan has dubbed the coming season, the Winter of Soups, expect to see some more coming!

What is your favourite soup to make at home? Feel free to share recipes!

Thanksgiving Inspiration

The New York Times is currently featuring a whole host of Thanksgiving-inspired recipes and ideas. First there's a huge number of stellar side dishes ready to rock your face off, like caramelized corn with fresh mint. Wowzers.

Next up is Mark Bittman's article, 101 Head Starts on the Day, which is jam packed full of easy recipes for chutneys, soups, stuffings, salads, sides, breads, crackers, and desserts - all of which can be made ahead of time and reheated or served at room temp. Awesome.

Finally, a few of my favourite foodie blogs with thanksgiving recipes worthy of note include:

* thyme-roasted apples + onions from eat make read


* sweet potato buttermilk pie from smitten kitchen


* spiced sweet potatoes and chick peas from sprouted kitchen


What are your favourite Thanksgiving dishes?

Odes to Autumn: Megan's White Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies

This is the third in a series of posts I'm calling Odes to Autumn, for what should be very obvious reasons! Check out the first in the series, Homemade Sausage and White Bean Cassoulet and the second, oh-so-dreamy Pumpkin Spice Pancakes.

Massive thanks to Megan at The Runner's Kitchen for successfully making me crave these cookies so much that I had to go out and buy apple sauce and nutmeg so that I could make them myself!

White Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies
(original recipe at: The Runner's Kitchen)

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• dash of ginger and nutmeg
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1.5 cups light brown sugar, loosely packed
• 1/4 cup apple sauce
• 1 cup pure pumpkin puree
• 2 eggs (preferably organic)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 3.5 oz white chocolate bar (I used Green & Blacks), chopped into small pieces
• small handful of dark chocolate chips

Directions

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees and grease a large baking sheet
• Whisk together flour, spices, and baking soda in a medium bowl
• Beat together the sugar and butter until creamy
• Mix in applesauce, eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla
• Slowly incorporate flour mixture until just combined
• Stir in the pecans and white chocolate and dark chocolate chips
• Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto cookie sheet and bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown on top

I should rename my first batch White Chocolate Pumpkin Bites since the word "cookie" doesn't really apply here! They tasted almost cake-like and were way too soft to really qualify as cookies. The second and third (!) batches were much more cookie-like.

Perfect with a cuppa milk - my co-workers could attest to the fact that these were delicious since the box I brought in to share disappeared in approximately 40 minutes! Don't skimp on the white chocolate whatever you do because it was seriously the star of the show - bon appetit!

Odes to Autumn: Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Nothing shouts "autumn!" like the flavour of pumpkin and all the spices in these pancakes. Pumpkin is so very quintessentially American to me. We have them in England, that's true but we don't have Thanksgiving and we don't get into Halloween in the same spirit as America. Plus canned pumpkin may be available at home (British readers?) but it's by no means as easy to come by or popular.

Anything pumpkin-flavoured just puts me in the mood for the holidays and these pancakes, inspired by Annie's Eats, were the perfect November morning breakfast fare.

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes (original recipe here):

Ingredients

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
Dash of ground ginger
Dash of ground cloves
1 cup milk
½ cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
2 tbsp. vegetable oil or melted butter

Directions

• In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and spices and stir with a fork to combine.
  

• Mix together the milk, pumpkin puree, egg and oil or butter in a liquid measuring cup. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk together just until combine. (The batter may still have a few lumps – that is okay.)
  

• Preheat the oven to 200° F. Have an oven safe plate or serving dish ready. Heat a greased skillet or griddle over medium heat. Once the skillet is hot, add a 1/3 cup scoop of batter to the pan. Let cool until bubbles begin to form on the top surface. Carefully flip with a spatula and cook the second side until golden brown, a couple minutes more.

• Serve with cinnamon sugar, maple syrup, and/or whipped cream.
  

I had mine with cinnamon sugar and maple syrup and they were pretty great if I do say so myself. Such a seasonal recipe with the nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger really coming through - they would be perfect for Thanksgiving morning or a late night supper. Yum!


What would your breakfast ode to Autumn be?

Breakfast Bonanza

Is breakfast not just the most satisfying meal of the day? To me it is. It is the one meal that I plan the least and eat most based on what my body is calling out for.

More often than not, oatmeal fits the picture. Here are some oatmeal delights I have been enjoying recently.

1. Chocolate Protein Oats

This was inspired by Susan in the comments section of a post I wrote asking people for their favourite oatmeal combos. Susan said "chocolate protein powder, banana, chocolate chips, PB and coconut." Sold!

2. Cherry-Maple Pumpkin Seed Oats

with a sprinkle of brown sugar, this ended up being a perfect combo of sweetness and crunch. And how pretty?!

3. Choco-Cherry Oatmeal

This may sound quite tasty but it was actually kind of a fail. Those are dried bananas you see which didn't quite fit and the cherry sauce was so sweet that with the chocolate too - it was just way too much. I didn't actually finish it which is basically unheard of with me and oatmeal...

And just to prove I don't just eat oatmeal for breakfast, check out these de-flipping-lightful banana-choc chip pancakes we rustled up at the weekend:

Mmmm caramelised banana...drool. There was a video of Dan flipping the cakes to me so I could catch them but I'll spare you...haha.

November Grilling: Striped Sea Bass

This weekend was ridiculously beautiful in Minneapolis - low 60s and blue, sunny skies - which meant I spent a lot of time outside getting all I could out of it. I biked, I had one of the most amazingly glorious runs of my life, and I grilled! Yeah, it was warm enough to fire up the grill so we went and got a whole striped sea bass to bbq!

If dead creatures make you squeamish, turn away now.

Otherwise, meet Barry, or Baz, the Bass.


The fishmonger gutted and descaled our fish for us which meant we just had to make indentations in him and season him with olive oil and salt and pepper:


I prepared some fresh herbs for a side dish while Dan did manly things that made me squirm. Fresh thyme, parsley and some lemon wedges...


Which complemented these New Potatoes and sauteed onions (along with a good knob of butter). They were mouth watering if I do say so myself!


Meanwhile, at the grill...



Followed by...



And this was dinner!


I'm not really a big fish person if I'm honest so I only eat it every once in a while but this was blooming delightful! The fish just fell apart in your mouth and the salty potatoes and fresh-tasting spinach went really well.

Have you ever prepared a whole fish to eat and if so, what?
I once did a similar thing for my parents in England but with Sole. That was really good too! You can't go wrong with s&p and some olive oil in my opinion!

Yogi Bear

Coolest photo ever?

[photo source]

I think so.

This post will be light on food and high on running and yoga so please look away now if this is not up your alley.

Three weeks ago I went to see a physical therapist for the first time after months of knee and shin pain after running. Yesterday I had my third and final session with the P.T. as she signed me off as "good to go" - i.e. I can run again!!

The long and short of it is that I never had an injury, only a creaky old lady's body. While she tells me I have a runner's physique, she also tells me I have the flexibility and muscle strength of an aged grandma. Lovely. The main culprit is my hamstrings which can reach about 50 degrees when I try to straighten them. They were at 45.

And, FYI you NEED to be at 70 degress to be able to run and 60 degress to WALK without pain! Someone my age and fitness should be at 90 degrees. Sad legs.

Anyway, I have been given tons of strength exercises and stretches which I do twice a day and now gradually I can build up my mileage again. Last week 2 miles was my limit (frustrating) but this week she said I can go for three (no more than 3 times a week). Gradually I will build up to my goal distance of 6 miles and once I get there, I can start doing the exercises fewer times a day/week.

And hopefully, before I know it, this will be me all over again:

P.S. Those knee supports? Worst idea ever my P.T said - they pull the knee in completely the wrong way and were probably completely exacerbating the problem. Great.

Which brings me onto yoga. I love this photograph:

[photo source]

My physical therapist has strongly advised me to keep doing lots of yoga which is a-okay with me since I love it. On top of that Holly and I were talking about how we've been slacking with working out and eating recently.

October was rough for me: one week in Texas full of crazy good but crazy bad for me food; work travel with more sketchy eating; an affinity for apple pie which won't go away; and being side lined from running and not finding the motivation to find a substitute. All these things have contributed to me feeling generally lazy and pretty sluggish.

So, Holly and I are embarking on a modest challenge to practise yoga three times a week in November. Wanna join us? Come on, you know you love those ohms! And if you're a runner, you know it's super important to get that stretching in. Now that I can run 3 milers again, I am super excited to have this challenge to go alongside it and help with my muscle-strengthening and stretching needs. Yay.

My big goal with yoga until I get there?

[photo source]

I do not have the strength to get into this pose yet. But I will. And it will be rad when I do. Woop!
If you practise yoga, what is your favourite pose?

I love warrior two and extended side angle with a bind. Beautious.

[photo source]

Juan, Jamal and Tortilla Espanol

Evenin' all! Just wanted to stop by and share a few of my eats from the past couple days.

If I'm honest, I also wanted to show off my adorable kitties again...

We adopted Juan and Jamal from the Animal Humane Society. They're 8 week old brothers from an unwanted litter and pretty much the most ridiculous things on the planet, no? We love them so.

I realized that many (okay, most) of my recently shared recipes have not been the most vegetarian friendly. What can I say? Whilst I actually don't eat meat very often, it does often factor into the more interesting recipes I make so you get to see a lot of it! The following three recipes are meat-free!

Dan found this recipe in (where else?) How to Cook Everything and it turned out super delicious so I wanted to share.

Braised Tofu with Eggplant and Shiitakes

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 1/4 cup neutral oil like corn (extra virgin olive oil is what we used and it works fine too)
  
• 1 cup sliced shiitake caps
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 1.5 pounds eggplant, trimmed, cut into 1.5 inch chunks
• 1 tbsp Chile Paste (optional) or diced dried chilies
  
• 1/2 cup stock or water
• 2 tbsp Tamari or Soy sauce
  
• 1 pound Tofu, cut into 1.5 inch cubes
• 1 tbsp dark sesame oil
• Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds for garnish (optional)
• 2 tbsp minced scallion for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Put half the oil in a deep skillet or shallow saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the shiitakes and some salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are crisp, about 5 to 10 mins. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2. Add the remaining oil and, a few seconds later, the garlic and ginger. As soon as it sizzles, add the eggplant. Cook, stirring every minute or so, until it browns, about 5 to 10 mins. Add the chile paste if you're using it and the stock.Cook until the eggplant is really tender, 10 to 15 minutes more, adding a little more liquid if necessary (unlikely but not impossible).
3. Stir in the Tamari or soy sauce and tofu and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tofu is heated through, about 5 mins; stir in the reserved shiitakes and turn off the heat. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then add the sesame oil, garnish and serve.

This was super delicious. Thanks Dan! It also made completely rad leftovers in a wrap two days in a row for me. Seriously, those wraps kept me full for hours and hours and were the bomb dot com.

Roasted Winter Squash with brown rice pilaf, spinach and sweet potato

This was a bit of a use-up-what-you've-got meal but it turned out to be really flipping amazing. We roasted the squash (my first of the Autumn!) at 400 degrees with some brown sugar, salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil.


If you haven't had brown rice pilaf before may I strongly recommend it? It tastes so nutty and earthy - as did this whole meal actually. We mixed in some Tamari, Sriracha sauce and sesame oil once it was cooked and it rocked my socks!


Oops! How did Juan get in there?

Spanish Tortilla

Another Mark Bittman classic. The man never fails to disappoint me!

Unlikely that you remember this but we made a giant Spanish tortilla back in the summer and it was just as ridiculous the second time around.

You can check out the recipe in that summer post if you want it. It's a super delicious summer recipe with a cold glass of white wine and some chips and spicy salsa on the side. That said, it was also a really blinding Autumn dish enjoyed with a beer.


I'll leave you with teeny Jamal because I can't help it.

They are also bananas in case you were wondering. Completely and utterly insane. Love.

Odes to Autumn: Homemade Sausage and White Bean Cassoulet

We have about seven weeks left of Autumn before we have to throw our hands up in despair and admit defeat to winter's clutches. I fully intend on making the most of some of Autumn's delightful fare while I can!

When you come home and your driveway looks like this, autumnal cooking quickly seems like the best laid plan for an afternoon. And so it was today (alongside making Halloween costumes) that I made a really awesome homemade soup from a stellar book I have called The Big Book of Soups and Stews.

For those wondering, a cassoulet is a slow-cooked bean stew or casserole that originated in the south of France. As with this one, typical ingredients are meat of some kind and white beans.

Sausage and White Bean Cassoulet

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage
• 1 pound kielbasa sausage, cut into 3/8 inch slices

• 3 leeks, white and pale green parts only, sliced

• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 apple, peeled and chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary (1/2 tsp dried would work too)
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with juice
• a few dashes tabasco sauce
• 2 cans (or the equivalent dried, soaked and cooked beans as I did) Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 package (10 oz) frozen baby lima beans, rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a dutch oven over medium heat, warm oil.
3. Add whole Italian sausage and brown for 15 mins, turning occasionally.
4. Add Kielbasa and brown both sausages about 10 mins longer.
5. Transfer to a plate and slice Italian sausage into half inch thick rounds.
6. Add leeks and garlic to same pan and saute til soft, about 5 mins.
7. Add apple, rosemary, sage, and bay leaf.
8. Stir in tomatoes, Tabasco sauce, beans, stock, and tomato paste. Season with pepper.
9. Bake, covered, about 1 hour. Remove lid and stir in parsley. Bake, uncovered, 15 mins longer. Remove bay leaf and discard.
10. Serve with crusty bread or your preferred kind (I chose wholewheat bread n butter) and if you're anything like me then a nice glass of red wine to boot.
    

Now before I say bye, a couple of things. First, thanks so much to all of you for your comments on my leg/running situation. You seriously made me feel ten times better about everything! I'll update you soon on the dealio with that since I'm sure you're itching to know.

Second, you people feel strongly about your oatmeal! Thanks for all the awesome comments with your favourite combos - I'll be debuting a few and posting about them shortly! Yeah, that's going to be an oatmeal-centric post.

Third, I would like to introduce the newest members of my family:

This is 8 week old Jamal...


...and his brother, Juan.


Sigh.