Happy Autumn!

Last Autumn when Lydia was 8 months old, now she is 18 months old!!

"Life starts all over again 

when it gets crisp in the fall."

                       -F. Scott Fitzgerald 

For as long as I can remember autumn has always been my favorite season, and I'm pretty proud of being born around this time of year! I love when the weather slowly begins to cool down and the leaves start changing shades of color. The smell of the air is crisp, and cinnamon sugar becomes the signature scent of my home. Everything just feels cozier. I'll be able to start wearing my fall uniform: a chunky sweater or flannel, jeans and boots. I cannot wait til I can wear boots again!! Food seems to taste better this time of year too. Winter squashes are at their peak, and boy do they taste mighty fine roasted, sprinkled with pumpkin seeds and served over kale. I also like pumpkin pie, pumpkin oatmeal, and pumpkin smoothies heavy on the spices.

There's a lot to love about this season. It seems to always inspire people to get together more whether it's to watch football (not me, I'm just there for the food), go to harvest festivals, host seasonal parties, go apple picking, etc. There's really no solid reason not to fellowship with your people when autumn is here! I am most looking forward to starting traditions with my family. I think Lydia will love jumping in freshly raked leaves, going to our towns harvest festival and helping me bake lots of delicious treats in the kitchen.

What are you most looking forward to this autumn? 

Pumpkin Chai Snickerdoodle [Coconut Milk] Ice Cream

In my dreams, I own an eclectic little cafe where I spend most of my time pouring my heart into making delicious food and sharing the fruits of my labor with new friends everyday. On occasion, I serve my customers frozen treats with flavors that are inspired by my fondest memories, and because I adore the fall season, I would absolutely serve an ice cream that represents this season. I don't know when this dream will come true so in the meantime, I will just use this corner of the internet and share the recipes that inspire me most and hope to myself that you'll enjoy it!

The recipe I'm sharing with you all is a Pumpkin Chai Snickerdoodle ice cream using coconut milk and arrowroot starch instead of heavy cream, milk and egg yolks, making this recipe dairy and egg-free. It is an excellent alternative for those with dietary restrictions or if you are simply wanting to try something new! The base is laced with cinnamon and just a kiss of cardamom while the cookies added bring along cloves, ginger and all-spice to the party. I find that these are coziest of flavors during this time of year and also like to think of this as an autumn inspired cookies and cream. With that said, let's get this ice cream cooking! Side note: isn't it fascinating that ice cream is cooked before it's chilled?

Pumpkin Chai Snickerdoodle Ice Cream

2 cans full-fat coconut milk
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/3 cup cane sugar
1/3 cup brown rice syrup
1 tablespoon arrowroot
1 tablespoon bourbon or vodka (an essential ingredient to help prevent the ice cream from becoming rock hard)
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup chopped Pumpkin Chai Snickerdoodle's

Directions:

·        Freeze your ice cream maker bowl for at least 24 hours before starting this recipe.  

·        Prepare an ice bath: using two large heat-safe (preferably stainless steel) mixing bowls that can nest together. Fill the larger of the two bowls with about 1/3 full of ice and about a cup of water.

·        Place the smaller bowl on top. Set aside. Empty entire contents of both coconut milk cans into a medium-sized pot.

·        Remove about a few tablespoons of the coconut milk liquid and place in a small bowl along with the arrowroot. Whisk thoroughly until combined. Pour starch mixture into the pot along with the brown rice syrup, cane sugar and spices.

·        Heat over medium and whisk the ingredients until fully combined. Allow mixture to boil about 1 ½ minutes and slowly stir with whisk. Remove from heat and pour mixture into the top bowl of your ice bath.

·        Whisk in the bourbon and vanilla, and let the mixture sit until ice cold, whisking every so often. It usually takes about an hour to an hour and a half to fully chill. The colder the mixture the better!  Patience is a virtue here my friends.

·         Once cold, pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and turn on. Follow manufacturer’s instructions, when ice cream is almost done (it’ll be struggling and have the consistency of a thick soft-serve), add in the chopped cookies.

·        Remove ice cream into an 8x4” bread pan or a silicon ice cream container once complete. I have the Cuisinart brand and for me it takes about 35 minutes to get a soft serve-like consistency.

·        Pack ice cream into container/bread pan and spread evenly. Place a piece of parchment or wax paper on the surface of the ice cream and press lightly so it’s fully stuck to the top.

·        Freeze ice cream at least 4 hours before serving. (Again, patience is a virtue my friends!!) Let ice cream sit for a few minutes then scoop, serve, and devour. Before placing ice cream back in the freezer, make sure you place the parchment paper securely on the surface of the ice cream to help avoid ice crystals forming.

Recipe adapted from here. 

Pumpkin Chai Snickerdoodles

This recipe adapted from a year of cozy's chewy chai snickerdoodles (which I think you all should check it out if you haven't already!)

ingredients:

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon cardamom

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 ½ cup sugar

2/3 cup coconut oil, slightly melted

¾ cup pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

topping:
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of cardamom

directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, allspice and pepper.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the sugar, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract and coconut oil. Beat until

In the bowl of your electric mixer, add the sugar, pumpkin puree and coconut oil. Beat until combined and smooth, 1-2 minutes. Add the flour in two additions, scraping down the sides with spatula if needed and beating until just combined.

Mix together the topping ingredients in a bowl. Using a cookie scoop, divide the dough into 36 equal pieces, rolling each into a smooth bowl. Roll each cookie ball into topping and place it on a baking sheet, keeping the cookies about 2 inches apart. Use the bottom of a drinking glass to gently press the cookie balls into flattened pieces of dough.

Bake the cookies for 11 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to completely cool before serving.

...stay tuned for my dairy-free pumpkin chai snickerdoodle ice cream recipe that uses these cookies! 

Farro Salad with Roasted Eggplant, Kabocha Squash and Crispy Chickpeas

This farro salad with roasted vegetables is a smooth way to transition into autumn and I am excited to share it with you all today. The night I made this salad we enjoyed it with pan-roasted salmon and I'd assume it would also pair beautifully with roasted chicken as well. I'm a huge fan of grain salads and the roasted eggplant and kabocha squash provided both sweetness and a tender bite! If you're not familiar with farro, it's one of the ancient grains (you know like: spelt, kamut, barley.. just to name a few!) and I don't like picking favorites but, I think it's the tastiest of the bunch. If you've never tried farro, it's soft yet has a desirable crunchiness to it and tastes nutty but is lighter than brown rice. Michael's even hooked on farro! If you have trouble finding it, I buy mine at Whole Foods in the bulk section and it can also be found online.

To be honest the crispy chickpeas were a bit of an afterthought and it probably shows in how the following recipe is written. I apologize and hope we can still be friends! I just wanted to share the crispy chickpea recipe because I thought it worked really well in this salad. For a lunch on Saturday, I used the leftover farro salad, and thought it needed a protein to make it a complete meal. So I decided to make a quick batch of crispy chickpeas. Crispy chickpeas are my go-to whenever I want to add a quick vegetarian protein into a meal. They always manage to add a great texture to salads and were especially memorable in this farro salad. On that note, I hope you can enjoy this salad and the crispy chickpeas as much as we did!

Farro Salad with Roasted Eggplant, Kabocha Squash and Crispy Chickpeas

recipe adapated from here

for crispy chickpeas:

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed; or 2 cups cooked chickpeas

1 small onion, sliced thin 

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper

1 teaspoon smoked paprika 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake chickpeas with following ingredients for 20-25 minutes; tossing midway through cooking. The chickpea's skin should be crispy and browned. 

For the farro:

1 cup uncooked farro

1 bay leaf

2 cups vegetable broth or water

for the salad:

1 small kabocha squash, peeled and cut into ¼” thick cubes

1 medium eggplant, cut into ¼” thick cubes 

1 teaspoon cumin 

4 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided 

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt 

pepper to taste

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 tablespoons lightly toasted pine nuts

Handful cilantro or parsley leaves, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Optional: Sprinkle about a tablespoon of kosher salt onto the cubed eggplant and let sit in a colander for 30 minutes. Once you notice liquid beading onto the surface of the eggplant give it a quick rinse. To cook the farro, add the broth and bay leaf to a small saucepan and bring to boil. Decrease heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and cook until farro is tender with a slight chew, 20-25 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and transfer to a big serving bowl. To make the salad, in a large bowl toss the eggplant, kabocha squash, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and cumin. Place mixture onto a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast the kabocha squash and eggplant until softened and browned, turning them once with a spatula in between, 30-35 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet from the oven and add the warm roasted vegetable mixture, crispy chickpeas, minced garlic, pine nuts and cilantro to the farro. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and balsamic vinegar; tossing to combine and adding salt to taste. Serve immediately. 

Roasted Apple and Chia Steel Cut Oats {naturally sweetened with dried apricots!}

I find a hot bowl of oatmeal to be so comforting on these cold autumn mornings and to make things more fun and less bland, I have fun with my toppings and flavors to keep me fuller and satisfied longer. For about three years now, I've been adding a thickened chia gel for an additional boost of fiber, omega 3s, protein and of course texture. I honestly don't remember a day I didn't add chia seeds to my oatmeal! I just love those little seeds. Anyway, this oatmeal was real special to me because it cherished the true flavors and my favorite fruit of the season: apples! By roasting the apples with cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg they develop a lovely dimension of texture and flavor. If you're pressed for time the apples in this recipe can be roasted the night before and thrown into the oats at the last five minutes of cooking. This oatmeal is also different because it relies on the use of dried apricots for sweetness and again more texture! (Can't you tell I just love texture?!) If you don't love dried apricots you can easily swap them for dates or simply just add maple syrup to your oats instead. The apricots are great because they get more tender and chewy upon simmering and they add both sweetness and fiber; a nice way to limit excess sugar into your diet. 

With that said here's the recipe!

Serves 2

½ cup steel cut oats

1 ½ cup water

½ cup plus 1/3 cup almond milk or milk of choice, divided

2 tablespoons chia seeds

1 teaspoon sea salt

4 pieces dried apricot, sliced thin

2 Mutsu apples (Gala, honey crisp and granny smith work here too!), cored and chopped into medium dice

1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted

1 teaspoon cinnamon plus more for serving

½ teaspoon cardamom

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ cup chopped pecans for serving

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and coat the apples with coconut oil, cardamom and nutmeg; place them on baking sheet and roast about 15 minutes or until tender. While baking the apples bring water and ½ cup almond milk to boil in a small saucepan. Once boiling add steel cut oats, salt and dried apricots to saucepan. Set heat on low, allow the oats to simmer for 15-20 minutes (until the liquid is absorbed and oats are thickened) and stir every now and then. While oats are simmering, in a small bowl combine remaining almond milk and chia seeds and set aside to thicken.  As soon as the oats are thickened stir in the roasted apples and chia seed mixture. Allow to simmer for another five minutes. Divide the oatmeal into two bowls and top with remaining roasted apples, chopped pecans and more cinnamon. Enjoy!

xo Jessica