This Week's Fall Favorites

Here in Chicago it's beginning to feel a lot like fall. The trees are changing a little, and it's been rainy, prompting those newly yellowed leaves to fall underfoot. 

Fall is the best time to experiment with soups and chilis. I have a ton of favorites (which I hope to share in the months to follow), but this first recipe is a new one for me. I got the inspiration from Pinterest. Actually, that's where I found most of this week's ideas. It's an awesome collecting site, you should check it out.

Happy reading and cooking!

      

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

 

1 tsp Olive Oil
1 large Onion, chopped

2 medium Sweet Potatoes, peeled, diced
1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
1 can Low Sodium Black Beans, undrained

1 can Low Sodium Kidney Beans, undrained

1 can Low Sodium corn, undrained
1 small can of Tomato sauce
2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
1 clove Garlic, chopped

1/8 tsp crushed Red Pepper
1 Tbsp Cocoa powder
1 Tbsp Honey
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/8 tsp Ground Cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste

You can make this chili in a crock pot or on the stove top.

Stove Top:

In large frying pan, sauté onions and sweet potatoes, with olive oil, until browned. Add red pepper for another minute.

Transfer everything to a large soup pot. Add beans, corn, tomato sauce, garlic. Heat to boil.

Add red wine vinegar, crushed red pepper, cocoa powder, honey, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon. Stir well. Reduce heat and simmer on low, uncovered, 25-30 min.

Crock Pot:

In large frying pan, sauté onions and sweet potatoes, with olive oil, until browned. Add red bellpepper for another minute.

Transfer everything to crock pot. Add beans, corn, tomato sauce, garlic, red wine vinegar, crushed red pepper, cocoa powder, honey, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon. Stir well. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours.

Serve with corn bread or over couscous.

(Inspired by Alex's Edibles' Black Bean Yam Soup)

Apple Cake (for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year)

 6 Apples, chopped or sliced into ½ inch chunks (I used a combo of Jonathan and Honey Crisp)
1 tablespoon Cinnamon
5 tablespoons Sugar

2 3/4 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 tablespoon Baking Powder

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Nutmeg
1 cup Vegetable Oil
2 cups Sugar
1 Tbsp Orange Juice

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a tube pan or regular baking pan (try not to use a bundt pan unless you are comfortable).

Core and chop apples into chunks. Toss with cinnamon and sugar and set aside.

Stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, orange and lemon juice, sugar and vanilla. Mix wet ingredients into the dry ones, then add eggs, one at a time. Add water. Stir well.

Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Spread half of apples over it. Pour the remaining batter over the apples and arrange the remaining apples on top. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean.

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

(Inspired by Smitten Kitchen's Mom's Apple Cake)

Fried Plantains

Olive oil

Plantain

Cinnamon

Sour Cream

Chili Powder

Slice plantain diagonally, so the pieces are as big as possible. Heat olive oil in large frying pan. Arrange plantains in frying pan. Cook on both sides until browned. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Serve with sour cream and chili powder.

Serve alongside Avocado Quesadillas. 

Best Broccoli Ever

Broccoli 

(you can also add onions and yellow bell peppers)

Olive Oil

Black Pepper

Dried Basil

Garlic powder

Juice of one lemon or equivalent bottled lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Cut broccoli  into florets. Place vegetables on a cookie sheet covered with tin foil. Toss with olive oil, pepper and dried basil. Sprinkle with garlic powder.

Roast in the oven 20 to 25 minutes, until “crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.”

When it’s done, take it out of the oven and sprinkle with lemon juice.

(Inspired by Amateur Gourmet's The Best Broccoli of Your Life)