feel food club

healthy fall

Apple & Cranberry Granola

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It is finally fall, and finally October and everyone is going crazy about pumpkins. For a good reason. They are insanely delicious and can be eaten basically with anything. But because of this hype so many people are forgetting about apples. The super delicious, sweet or sour apples that are in season right not, that are available in so many different colors, shapes, and flavors. They are seasonal at the moment and grow local here in Austria. I feel apples are underrated and we should actually keep the quote „an apple a day keeps the doctor away“ in mind every day.

Apples actually are pretty healthy. They are really rich in fiber, antioxidants, reasonable amounts of Vitamin C and K. That being said we should consider eating one a day. But the famous little sentence we tell all the kids does not mention the form we should eat them in. So why not eating them in a different way than usually?! Why not eating them in form of Granola. In form of Fall Apple Granola. To be honest, it doesn’t still contain a lot of vitamins in that form, but it gives us an excuse to eat apples. 

This granola tastes like fall in a bowl. It instantly gives you the feeling of hiking through the vineyards and grabbing fresh apples from the tree while all the leaves are turning red and yellow. It gives you the feeling of collecting chestnuts and smelling that good fall flavor. I love eating this on top of a cozy oatmeal or in a yoghurt bowl for breakfast. The crunch makes it a perfect topping for any creamy base or also with milk when enjoyed as cereal. 

I decided to make this granola with popcorn to lighten it up a little, and give it more volume. The popcorn also soaks up the liquid ingredients really well and just soaks up all of the flavor. The oats, pumpkin seeds and nuts add some texture, fall feeling, as well as good carbs and healthy fats. The flax seeds, some fiber, and the hemp seeds some protein. The dried apples and cranberries add some sweetness and chewiness which makes it really addicting. A necessary ingredient which definitely can’t be left out is the cinnamon. It adds sweetness, is super healthy, and makes it all cozy and comforting. Last but not least I added some sea salt to bring out the flavor and maca powder (which is optional) because it has a lot of health benefits.

The liquid ingredients are pretty clean and simple too. I am using Apple sauce (of course) as a base to get that Apple flavor and sweetness without any refined sugars. The coconut oil adds some fats and helps to crisp up the granola when in the oven. The maple adds sweetness and color as it will caramelize in the oven while baking and turn everything delicious golden-brown. When mixing together it already combines the different flavors and  smells. 

You will be able to smell it in the entire house once you take it out of the oven and you won’t have to wait until everything is gone. Won’t take long, I promise. It last up to one month when stored in an air tight container but mine was gone way quicker. I hope that you will enjoy this recipe and if you decide to recreate it be sure to tag me in your post with @uneptcuisiniere or #unepetitecuisiniere

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Apple Granola (V,SF)

A delicious fall twist on your regular Granola perfect for October!

Course Breakfast, Snack
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 25 Minuten
Total Time 35 Minuten
Servings 12 servings
Calories 93 kcal

What you will need

  • 50 G Popcorn
  • 30 G Almonds Chopped
  • 30 G Oats
  • 30 G Pumpkin seeds
  • 1 Tbsp Hemp Seeds
  • 1 Tbsp Chia Seeds
  • 1 tbsp Cinnamon
  • 2 Tsp Maca Powder
  • 20 g Cranberries
  • 20 g Dried Apples

Wet ingredients:

  • 100 G Apple Sauce or Apple Butter
  • 1 tbsp coconut Oil
  • 1-2 Tbsp maple syrup

How to

That’s how it works:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C.

  2. Chop the Almonds. Add them into a big bowl along with all the other dry ingredients except for the dried Apple. Mix them well until all combined.

  3. In a smaller bowl mix together the Apple sauce, molten coconut oil an maple until it has a smooth consistency.

  4. Pour the liquid mixture over the dry one and gently stir through until all of it is covered. Then spread it on a baking tray covered with parchment paper and bake it in the oven for about 20-25 minutes.

  5. When done take it out of the oven and let cool completely. Meanwhile chop up the dried apples. Mix the through the granola. Now you can also add cranberries or any other add ins that you would like.

  6. Store it in an air tight container for up to one month. It is best enjoyed over Jogurt, Porridge, or simply with milk.

Fall Harvest Salad (V, S)

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Fall is officially here and the temperatures are going down. Although the weekends are still super nice and sunny, you know that fall is here as soon as the leaves start to turn red, brown, and yellow and the first chestnuts are lying on the ground. Fall is such a great season, such beautiful colors and beautiful landscapes. So beautiful. Fall also means comfort foods to me and hot soups. But only because the season changes doesn’t mean just eating unhealthy comfort foods. There are so many great seasonal foods you can pack into super delicious salads. 

With this salad I tried to bring all of the beautiful fall colors into one bowl. The orange in the pumpkin, the red in the pomegranate seeds, the yellow in the pear, the brown in the almonds, and the green from the spinach. It is like eating the rainbow. A lot of people see salads as summer-food but I think that they are a great way to switch up things and not only eating soups and heavy dishes. This one is super refreshing because of the dressing but still really hearty because of the war roasted pumpkins, and the nuts. 

I used Delicata Squash because I think it works great in Salads and or roasting. It has a slight sweet taste and is not quite as dense as for example Hokkaido pumpkin. It is super simple to bring out the flavor and it roasts for only 20 minutes which I think is really great. I seasoned it very simply because I think that otherwise it would overpower the flavor of the rest of the salad. You can use any pumpkin you like but the roasting time will vary depending on the type of pumpkin. 

As a base I decided to go for baby spinach because of its mild flavor and it soaks up the flavor of the dressing easily. I simply love the slightly buttery taste and texture. If you do not like spinach you can go for anything else, lambs lettuce would work great too but I would not recommend kale because it needs more heartiness in a dressing to taste really good in a salad. You can also do a mix of different ones, it would work really great too if you decide to make it a little fancier! The pear on top adds some sweetness and soft butter-like texture, which goes really well with the salad base and the crunch of the toppings. 

For a little crunch I added the pomegranate seeds and the almonds. You can buy prepackaged pomegranate seeds but I like to to buy a whole pomegranate and take them out myself. It is a little work, takes maybe like ten minutes but you do not need unnecessary plastic packaging, they are fresher, and they last for longer, which I think is great. The almonds just give the whole salad some richness, healthy fats, and protein. I really like the heartiness and kind of dryness of almonds as I think they pair very well with the soft, juicy roasted Delicata Squash but some walnuts would work really well in szuch a salad too! Walnuts are a great seasonal food in fall and also regional here in Austria but I unfortunately did not have them on hand when I made this salad.  

For the dressing I decided to use Tahini because it is my favorite ingredient when it comes to salad dressings. It makes it so incredibly creamy and tastes so good! Also Tahini is a great healthy fat and contains a lot of vitamins. I mixed it with some Dijon mustard, lemon juice, a little olive oil, some of the pomegranate juice that ran out when I took out the seeds, and a tiny splash of maple syrup. Just mix it all up and voila, so delicious!

I really like this salad to enjoy as a light lunch and making it fresh but it also works great as meal prep if you store the dressing separately. It comes together really quickly and simple and is such a great healthy fall dish! If you decide to recreate it, make sure to tag me on Instagram with @uneptcuisiniere or with #unepetitecuisiniere! I hope you will enjoy and like it as much as I do.

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Fall Harvest Salad

A healthy and delicious salad to enjoy al of the seasonal foods that fall brings us.

Course Main Course, Salad, Side Dish
Prep Time 20 Minuten
Cook Time 20 Minuten
Total Time 25 Minuten
Servings 2 people
Calories 379 kcal

What you will need

For the Salad:

  • 200 g Baby spinach
  • 1/2 Pear
  • 1/2 Pomegranate
  • 400-500 g Delicata Squash
  • 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 30 g Almonds

For the Dressing:

  • 1 tbsp Tahini
  • 2 tbsp Pomegranate Juice
  • 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
  • 1/2 tbsp White wine vinegar

How to

Thats how it works:

  1. Cut the Delicata squash into about 1cm thick slices. Remove the seeds and place them in a bowl. Generously salt and pepper them and mix the with the Olive oil. Place them on the baking tray and make sure that they do not overlap. Bake them in a preheated oven at 180C for about 20 minutes.

  2. While the pumpkin is baking, wash the spinach and the pear. Plcae the salad into a bowl and cut the pear into about 1.5cm large cubes. roughly chop the almonds. Cut the pomgranate in half and take out the seeds. I believe it is easiest to carve them out with a fork into a bowl and then take out the parts from the shell thaat came with it. Add the two fruits to the spinach along with the chopped up nuts.

  3. Add all the ingredients for the dressing into a bowl and mix well until combined. By now the pumpkin should be cooked through, so take it out of the oven. Mix the dressing with the salad, divide it onto two plates and top it with the roasted squash. Serve and enjoy!