Category Archives:vegetarian recipes

Healthy Meal Tips for Everyone share

I've spent a week visiting with my parents in my hometown of southeast Michigan, and though it's quite a chilly change from my tropical home, it's been so lovely to be in the cool air and the forests. One of the things I was most excited about was true Autumn foods like squashes and pumpkins, which seem so much more at home here in the cool weather. We found Michigan grown Kabocha and Kuri squash, an enormous head of cauliflower and lots of locally grown greens. But I was most happy about being able to cook some of these wholesome veggies for my parents. Here are some simple meals that we've shared and some healthy tips for adding more wholesome fall vegetables into classic recipes.

1. Veggies with pasta!

Almost everyone enjoys pasta (brown rice pasta is my favorite, but we I chose Einkhorn pasta for some added whole graininess for the folks). Kales and other greens can be sliced thinly to blend easily into the sauce, and those gorgeous Autumn veggies can be roasted before adding. In the photo above we have roasted parsnips, cauliflower and carrots served with kale. Alternatives to red sauce: toss with a miso-butter mixture, toss with a little feta or Parmesan cheese or serve with pesto.

2. Veggie Quesadillas!

Choose your favorite tortilla and layer with some cheese, those leftover roasted vegetables and other greens you might love. Red cabbage, lots of leafy greens, and broccoli and cauliflower and mashed sweet potatoes is my favorite combination.

3. Simple Tempeh Stir-fry!

Mom has never liked tofu, but I thought some Fakin' Bacon tempeh would go over really well– and it did! Tossed into a simple stir-fry with broccoli and more of our gigantic locally-grown cauliflower, there was just enough flavor from the tempeh to make the veggies into a simple, quick meal served alongside brown rice. A little drizzle of lemon, soy sauce or your favorite salad dressing would be good too!

Fall Recipes: 9 Easy, Healthy Recipes for Autumn share

Red Lentil & Tamarind one of my fall recipes from Vibrant Wellness Journal

Looking for some simple, delicious fall recipes? We've got your covered!

Tomorrow is the first day of October, and this is an important reminder. Living in Hawaii means that I must use an actual calendar– rather than the changing colors of the deciduous forest or sweet, smoky chill in the air– to remind me that it is, indeed, time to start dishing up fall recipes.

And don't believe the rumors, there ARE seasons here in our sub-tropical islands, but the shift is subtle. But as a chef and nutritionist, that means it's extra important to pay attention to those subtle shifts, because even here in Hawaii we need to adjust our diet to adjust for the cooler weather.

Some of the foods that are typical in fall recipes have their roots in Eastern medicine. As the weather shifts to cooler temperatures,  it's important to bring grounding, warming foods into our diet after a summer of expansive, bright green energy.

It's time to turn down the brightness of summer salads and fresh berries and look for a bit more heft in our foods. Sweet potatoes, pumpkins and squashes are naturally sweet and can bring balance to our systems. Other good foods are mushrooms, dark leafy greens and root vegetables. Beans are also important at this time of year, to keep our bellies full and warm. I've taken a peek at some of my favorite food blogs to share some gorgeous autumn recipes.

All these fall recipes feature typically warm and grounding autumn foods, and I think you will find them all delightful!

9 Easy, Healthy Fall Recipes

1. Red Lentils with Tamarind (above photo) (tamarind is a sticky, savory paste that adds an incredible flavor to lentils- hands down, my new favorite ingredient!) from Vibrant Wellness Journal

2. Green Lentil Soup; green lentils are a nice change from brown, and paired with browned butter... yes, please) from 101 Cookbooks.

3. Pumpkin Lentil Soup (featuring two of my favorite fall ingredients!), from Homegrown Kitchen

4. Green Banana Curry (bananas cook into a starch and are a great replacement for potatoes in this Caribbean-inspired dish) from Vibrant Wellness Journal

5. Broccoli Tacos with Potatoes and Black Beans from Glue and Glitter

6. Homemade Chili featuring lentils, chickpeas and a mix of whole grains, this is the definition of hearty meals, from 101 Cookbooks

7. Quinoa Banana Bread Breakfast Cookies, for chilly mornings on the go, from Healthful Pursuit.

8. Mushroom Burgers with homemade Asian-style slaw, for those feeling more ambitious, from Sprouted Kitchen

9. And for more inspiration, Love and Lemons has a whole post dedicated to this exact same topic. Check out recipes like Miso Sweet Potatoes and Apple Muffins.

What are you favorite fall recipes to celebrate the flavors of autumn?

Chili image from 101 Cookbooks; red lentil recipe from Vibrant Wellness Journal.