Fall Into Fresh Recipes

 
 

FALL HARVEST SALAD

This recipe was modified from “As Easy as Apple Pie”.

Great for lunch, as a light dinner, or at your next fall gathering!

INGREDIENTS:

  • Butternut squash – peeled, cubed, and roasted in the oven. If you want to save time, you can buy pre-cut butternut squash.

  • Kale – any variety, chopped into bite-sized pieces.

  • Quinoa – you can use white, multi-color, or red quinoa for this recipe. Don’t forget to rinse it before cooking to get rid of the bitterness.

  • Apples – use a nice crunchy apple, chopped or sliced. Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Fuji, and Jazz apples are our favorites.

  • Ferris Nut Co. Dried cranberries – add sweetness and a pop of color.

  • Ferris Nut Co. Pepitas – pecans and roasted pumpkin seeds add crunch, flavor, and healthy fats.

  • Crumbled feta cheese – lends creaminess and a salty punch.

  • Frederik's by Meijer Sweet Apple Dressing – an artful balance of light and tangy apple cider vinegar and notes of sweet apple, this bright dressing is the perfect base for your dream salad.

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Roast the butternut squash – toss with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast until tender.

  2. Prepare the quinoa – cook the quinoa and once it’s ready, fluff it with a fork and let it cool.

  3. Massage the kale – kale can be tough and bitter. Massage it with half of the dressing to bring out the sweetness and make it more tender. Add the kale to a salad bowl with 1/2 of the dressing, and toss until it’s evenly coated.

  4. Assemble – add the quinoa, butternut squash, and apples into the bowl with the kale, and toss to combine.

  5. Serve – divide the salad between 3 plates, add the toppings, drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over the top, and serve.

ALTERNATIVES:

  • Greens – Baby arugula or spinach would also be delicious.

  • Butternut squash – you could also use sweet potatoes or another kind of winter squash.

  • Cheese – swap the feta cheese with goat cheese or blue cheese.

  • Nuts – Try walnuts, pistachios, or candied pecans.

  • Quinoa – Swap in wild rice, farro, or your favorite grain.

  • Fruit – use pears, figs, or pomegranate seeds instead of apples.

  • Dried berries – dried tart cherries or raisins are a great alternative.

  • Make it vegan/dairy-free – leave out the cheese and sprinkle nutritional yeast over the top.

  • Add protein – toss in some chickpeas, leftover shredded chicken, sliced steak, or tofu.

 

Curried Butternut Squash Soup (Vegan)

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 Tbsp coconut or avocado oil

  • 2 medium shallots (thinly diced)

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 cloves yield ~1 Tbsp or 6 g)

  • 6 cups peeled & chopped butternut squash (1 small butternut squash yields ~6 cups)

  • 1 pinch each sea salt + black pepper (plus more to taste)

  • 1 1/2 Tbsp curry powder

  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

  • 1 14-ounce can light coconut milk

  • 2 cups vegetable broth (DIY or store-bought)

  • 1-3 Tbsp maple syrup (or sub coconut sugar)

  • 1-2 tsp chili garlic paste (optional)

FOR SERVING (optional):

  • Toasted pumpkin seeds

  • Chili garlic paste

  • Full-fat coconut milk

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Heat a large pot over medium heat.

  2. Once hot, add oil, shallots, and garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

  3. Add butternut squash and season with salt, pepper, curry powder, and ground cinnamon. Stir to coat. Then cover and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  4. Add coconut milk, vegetable broth, maple syrup or coconut sugar, and chili garlic paste (optional – for heat).

  5. Bring to a low boil over medium heat and then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until butternut squash is fork tender.

  6. Use an immersion blender, or transfer soup to a blender, and purée on high until creamy and smooth. If using a blender, return soup back to pot.

  7. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more curry powder, salt, or sweetener as needed. Continue cooking for a few more minutes over medium heat.

  8. Serve as is or with garnishes of choice (options above). Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer up to 1 month. Best when fresh.

 

Pumpkin Pie Dip

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups Meijer heavy whipping cream

1 (3.4-oz.) box instant vanilla pudding mix

1/2 cup Meijer canned 100% pure pumpkin

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Ginger snap cookies, for serving

DIRECTIONS:

  1. In a stand mixer, beat heavy whipping cream and vanilla pudding mix until stiff peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes.

  2. Add pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice and stir to combine, then chill if desired.

  3. Sprinkle over top with pumpkin pie spice. Serve with ginger snaps.

ALTERNATIVES:

Heavy Cream Substitute - If you’re looking for a more decadent dip then cream cheese would be a great addition. Or if you’d like to keep it less “cream” heavy, place in whole-fat Greek yogurt.

Ginger Snaps Substitute - apple slices, cannoli shells, graham crackers, shortbread cookies, or vanilla wafers would also be delicious.