‘Tis the season for comfort foods! It’s getting colder every day, and all I want to do is stuff myself with warm, filling dishes. Thank god for sweater weather, because I’m sporting a food baby 24/7 this time of year. As the first cold spell hits Saint Louis, I’m sharing some of my favorite recipes for Fall.
Pumpkin Black Bean Chili
This chili is perfect for a cold, blustery day. Pumpkin may sound like it would be weird in a savory dish, but it acts as a perfect base to this chili, making it both hearty and healthy.
Ingredients:
6 T. veg oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow pepper, seeded and diced
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
1 can beef broth
2/3 cup cream or cooking sherry
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 T. plus ½ t. dried oregano
2 ½ t. cumin
½ t. pepper
1 T. salt
2 T. chili powder
1 can pureed pumpkin
2 cups cooked black beans shredded cheddar cheese and scallions
Directions:
Heat 2 T. oil in large pot, brown pork in batches over med heat, adding more oil if needed. Reserve pork. Add onion, garlic and peppers to pot, sauté for 10 minutes. Stir in broth and sherry and tomatoes. Add chili spices. Stir in pumpkin until smooth. Add black beans and browned pork. Bring to simmer, stirring sometimes, for 1 hour. Let simmer until meat is tender. Top to cheese and scallions. Makes 6-8 servings
Seared Portobello Mushroom and Squash Barley “Risotto”
Tbh, in the interest of time, I do not add in the seared mushrooms when I make this. I found this recipe on myfitnesspal and it is incredible. It’s healthy, filling, and flavorful. I made it for my roommates and it was voted a repeat dish, so you know it’s good.
If you can’t (legally) purchase the wine used in this dish, don’t worry! It can be substituted with white wine vinegar, lemon juice, or vegetable stock, whichever you prefer.
Pumpkin Chocolate Bread Pudding
This delicious pudding is so. Freakin. Good. On top of that, it’s super easy to make and you probably already have most of the ingredients already! It’s really just your basic bread pudding recipe, with the addition of a pumpkin loaf and plenty of chocolate chips. The sound of this dish sissling just out of the oven inspires pure happiness.
Ingredients:
2 slices day-old bread
4 slices of pumpkin loaf
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
3/4 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Break bread and pumpkin loaf into small pieces in an 8 inch square baking pan. Drizzle melted butter or margarine over bread. Sprinkle with chocolate chips In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread, and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up the egg mixture. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes.
Veg-All Chicken Pot Pie
Chicken Pot Pie is one of my favorite foods of all time, and it’s the perfect comfort food to whip up on a cold day. If you have leftover chicken, this is one of the easiest meals to put together. Trust me, Marie Callender has nothing on this homemade version.
This recipe is one I learned from my mom, who learned it from the back of a can of Veg-All. The original recipe calls for canned chicken, but that’s just not something I go for. I’m all for canned vegetables, but canned meats is where I draw the line. If you don’t have leftover chicken for this recipe, you can pan fry some breasts or buy a rotisserie chicken. Or you can go for the canned stuff, it’s up to you.
Ingredients:
10 oz cooked chicken
2 (15 ounce) cans veg-all original mixed vegetables, drained
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1⁄4 teaspoon thyme
Two 9-inch frozen ready-to-bake pie crust
Salt and pepper if desired
Directions:
In medium bowl, combine vegetables,chicken, soup, and seasoning. Fit one pie crust into 9-inch pie pan; pour vegetable mixture into pie crust. Top with remaining crust, crimp edges to seal and pick top with fork. Bake at 350F for 60 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is hot. Allow pie to cool slightly before cutting into wedges to serve.
Autumn Granola
Inspired by Ina Garten’s recipe, this healthified version cuts down on sugar but amps up the flavor with spices like cinnamon and cloves. Making granola in large batches actually saves you money if you buy granola regularly. Nuts and dried fruits cans still be expensive though, so to cut costs head to a discount grocery store like Aldi’s, or buy from stores like Dierbergs, which offer bulk foods dispensers that save on packaging costs.
Ingredients:
2 Cups oats
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup pure maple syrup
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp cloves
½ tsp salt
2 cups of dried cranberries
½ cup roasted pumpkin seeds
½ cup unsalted roasted cashews
½ cup roasted pecans
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Toss the oats, almonds, coconut, cinnamon, cloves and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk together the oil and maple syrup in a small bowl. Pour the liquids over the dry mixture and stir until all the oats and nuts are coated. Pour onto a 13 by 18 by 1-inch sheet pan. Bake, stirring occasionally with a spatula, until the mixture turns a nice, even, golden brown, about 45 minutes. Remove the granola from the oven and allow to cool, stirring occasionally. Add the dried fruits and nuts. Store the granola in an airtight container.
Note: If you can’t find unsalted, roasted cashews or pecans buy them raw and roast them yourself by simply dumping them on a baking tray and popping them in an oven heated to 325 degrees for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until they’ve browned and become fragrant.