Roasted Chicken and Brussels Sprouts with Pumpkin Polenta

Fall has officially arrived in Durham! We had a brief glimpse of her a few weeks ago and then it got hot and humid all over again. Now, don't get me wrong, I love hot weather. Love love love. I am definitely a summer, bathing-suit, short-wearing, water-playing kind of girl. But one of the main reasons I love the weather in NC is the change in seasons. By the end of the summer, I am ready for fall. The crisp air, the crunchy leaves and the delicious, comforting food. When I started craving all things pumpkin, I knew that I was ready for the new season. This dinner came about by trying to figure out what to do with the random items I'd purchased at the store and the desire to satisfy my fall, comfort food cravings. And it definitely did the trick. The flavors meld together to taste a lot like a Thanksgiving meal but without the hours of work.

I recommend getting a jar of Herbes de Provence for your spice rack. One little jar includes a rich, aromatic blend of herbs, including thyme, basil and lavender. A good sprinkling of the blend can lend a ton of flavor to a dish without needing to buy a lot of individual herbs and spices. I also recommend keeping some canned pumpkin on hand this time of year. Make sure it is plain canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling as that's a whole different animal. You can easily stir some canned pumpkin into risotto, quinoa, or polenta to make a simple side into something perfect for the season.

Roasted Chicken and Brussels Sprouts

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 package boneless skinless chicken thighs, about 1 - 1.3 lbs
• 1 bunch Brussels sprouts
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp herbes de Provence
• 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste
• 1/2 cup chicken stock

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a large, oven proof dish (I use my dutch oven), heat the oil over medium to medium-high heat.
Season the top side of the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
When the pan is very hot - the oil should shimmer and move easily around the pan - add the chicken, seasoned side down.
Let the chicken cook without moving them for about 8-10 minutes. This will give them that nice golden color and the meat will tear if you try to move them before they're ready.
Season the underside of the thighs and then remove them from the pan to standby.
While the chicken is browning, wash the Brussels sprouts and trim off the ends. I usually cut them in half unless they are very small or even into quarters if they're very large.
After removing the chicken, turn the heat down a bit and add the sprouts and garlic to the pan.
Season with a bit more salt and pepper and add the Herbes de Provence.
Saute for a couple of minutes and then add the chicken stock.
Stir to get all of the browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
Add the chicken back into the pan, brown side up.
Place the pan into the oven and roast for about 20 minutes, until the Brussels sprouts are tender and the chicken is cooked through.
Serve over pumpkin polenta.

Pumpkin Polenta

• 3 cups of liquid (milk, stock, water or a combination)
• 1/4 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 1 cup polenta
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2-3 tbsp Parmesan cheese

Bring the liquid to a low boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Be careful if you're using milk as it will quickly boil over and make a big mess. I usually remove the lid when it starts to simmer.
Turn the heat down to low.
Slowly pour in the polenta and stir to combine, breaking up any lumps. Season with a pinch of salt.
Once the polenta is combined, stir in the pumpkin. I use a metal whisk to break up any lumps and make a creamy polenta.
Continue stirring until the polenta thickens and starts to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Remove from the heat, add butter and Parmesan cheese.
Stir to combine, and let sit, covered for a minute or so.

For a printable recipe click here

Healthy and Easy Pumpkin Bars

Halloween is definitely not my favorite holiday. I loved dressing up as a kid and in college it was just another great reason to party. But now I can't bring myself to get that excited about dressing up and my idea of a party is good food and wine with friends. I am looking forward to the days I can dress my own kids up and share in their excitement as they go out to trick-or-treat. But until that time, there is one thing that I absolutely love about Halloween: pumpkin. And not the kind you carve up into a scary face and put on your front porch. No, I'm talking about the little ones that are used for cooking. I even get excited about the pureed form you can get in a can. Pure canned pumpkin is available year round but no one thinks about it until it's time to make another pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. But there are so many delicious things you can make with pumpkin, both whole and canned, that it's worth getting a head start on cooking with pumpkin before you make that pumpkin pie.

Pumpkin has a natural sweetness that adds to a recipe without having to include a lot of extra sugar. These pumpkin bars only use 1/2 cup of honey but with the pumpkin they taste sweet enough to be served as a light dessert or as a sweeter snack. The pumpkin also makes these bars incredibly moist. The traditional fall/winter spices of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves make them comforting and reminiscent of pumpkin pie but can be eaten any day of the week since they are much healthier. Serve them as dessert with some whipped cream or as a snack with a cold glass of milk. Because they are made with almond flour they are gluten free but anyone can make these with ingredients you can easily get at the store. Just take blanched almonds and grind them in a food processor until they become a soft flour. Almonds are full of healthy fats and proteins and add a great nutty taste to the bars.

Pumpkin Bars

• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (unsweetened canned pumpkin)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup almond flour (see note above)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a food processor or with a hand mixer, blend pumpkin, honey and eggs until fully combined.
Mix in almond flour and all spices until an even consistency.
Pour batter into a greased 8x8 baking dish.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until cake is set and a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool and cut into squares.
Eat warm or store in an airtight container.

For a printable recipe click here

Recipe adapted from Elana's Pantry

Sweet Potato Soup

Last Saturday's farmers' market had the feel of a fair or a street festival. The sun was shining and people came out in droves. Kids were running around on the grass, adults were enjoying samples from Chef Dave Alworth of Guglhupf, and local musicians were playing their tunes for anyone passing by. Despite being a full week into the month of October, the weather was more reminiscent of late spring or early summer with temperatures near the 90's. You would have had a difficult time convincing anyone that it is in fact fall here in Durham.

Photo courtesy of http://www.durhamfarmersmarket.com

Unless you took a close look at the produce available at many of the market's vendors. Sure there was the occasional basket of zucchini, fresh corn and summer tomatoes, all evidence of the long summer season we are blessed with in North Carolina. But more abundant were the baskets of winter squash: pumpkins of all sizes, acorn squash, butternut squash, you name it. Root vegetables joined the mix with some beets and turnips and, one of my personal favorites, the sweet potato. I love the flavors of fall and sweet potatoes embody the season better than almost any other food. They are delicious when mashed and whipped, a perfect side dish at Thanksgiving. They pair wonderfully with the fall/winter spices of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. They are naturally sweet all by themselves but are even sweeter when candied or baked into a pie. And despite their sweetness, they are actually incredibly good for you. They are full of Vitamins A & C, beta carotene and dietary fiber. But feel free to leave that out when you serve them to friends or kids. Just let them enjoy how delicious they are.

This soup is certainly no exception. It plays off the natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes by adding the spicy bite of fresh ginger and a touch of cayenne pepper. The peanuts on top not only add a crunch that contrasts with the smoothness of the pureed soup but also adds a salty note to balance out the heat. This soup would be perfect for a cool night in fall or winter but if the warm weather comes back, I promise it still tastes like fall even if it feels like summer outside. This soup would make a great starter or serve it as dinner like I did with a sauteed vegetable and toasted crusty bread.

Sweet Potato Soup (Serves 4)

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cup chopped)
• 2 tbsp ginger, peeled and chopped (from a 2 inch piece)
•  3 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped (4-5 cups chopped)
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.
Saute onion and ginger for 5-8 minutes, until onion is soft and translucent.
Add carrots and season with cumin, nutmeg, cayenne, salt and pepper; saute for another 3-4 minutes until spices are fragrant.
Add sweet potatoes, stirring to combine.
Pour in enough stock to just cover the vegetables.
Bring the soup to a simmer and cover, cooking until the vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes.
Remove the soup from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Puree the entire pot either with an immersion blender or, in batches, in a food processor.
If the pureed soup is too thick, add a bit more stock.
Adjust the seasoning if necessary and reheat slightly if soup cooled significantly.
Serve garnished with 1 tbsp of peanuts.

For a printable recipe click here



Sweet Potato and Ginger Soup

Spice Rubbed Pork with Apple Chutney

With the torrents of rain, that I thankfully missed while away, fall has definitely arrived. Although I love hot weather as much or more than most people, I get to a point in summer when I can't wait for the beautiful colors of fall and the cool crisp air. And that's not to mention all the new dishes inspired by the change in produce and the cooler temperatures. Soups and stews, roasted root vegetables, and hearty winter greens are just some of my favorites come this time of year. One of the beauties of eating seasonal foods is that it's a lot harder to get bored. Some ingredients are only available at certain times of year and therefore get to be enjoyed while they are at their best, then missed as they go out of season, only making the joy of their return that much greater.

One of my fall favorites is the apple. Sure you can easily eat apples year round, and I'm not saying I don't eat them in spring and summer, but there's something about the crisp air of autumn that makes apples taste that much better. Similar to peaches in the summer, apples can be eaten on their own, in desserts and even in savory dishes such as this pork dish with apple chutney. Apples are great in that they are equally tasty (in my opinion) when crisp and tart as they are when soft and cooked down with some sugar and spices. This chutney took only a few minutes to saute together as the pork and vegetables finished cooking. The store had some beautiful boneless pork chops on sale so I went with those. A pork tenderloin would also work but would take a bit longer to cook. Bone-in chops would be very tasty.

I used a spice rub I got as swag from the Blogger Conference I attended back in August. It was a combination of salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, rosemary, thyme and a touch of brown sugar. Any spice blend will work or make your own with the ingredients above. I served the pork with a mix of roasted butternut squash, sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts. Toss the cubed squash and potato together with olive oil, salt and pepper, fresh thyme and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Roast at 425F for about 15 minutes  then add the Brussels sprouts, stirring to combine. Roast for another 15-20 minutes until everything is tender.

Spice Rubbed Pork with Apple Chutney (serves 4)

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 pound boneless pork chops (3-4 chops, depending on thickness)
• 2 tbsp spice rub
• 1 tsp butter
• 1 large apple (about 1.5-2 cups chopped). I used a Golden Delicious but any variety would work.
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• Pinch of cloves
• Salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat.
Rub the spice mixture into the pork chops.
When the pan is very hot, oil should be shimmering, place the chops in the pan and don't move them.
Let them caramelize on the first side for about 5 minutes then flip and sear the other side.
Turn the heat down to medium low, cover the chops loosely with tinfoil and cook for another 10-15 minutes, flipping once halfway through. Cook until the pork chops reach about 140F or until light pink in the center.
While the chops are cooking, peel, core and dice the apples.
Heat the butter in a small saute pan over medium heat.
When the butter has melted, add the apples, stirring to coat.
Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Pour in about 2 tbsp of water; saute until the apples begin to break down and the water thickens into a sauce, about 8-10 minutes, depending on the crispness of the apple.
The chutney will be slightly sweet but not as sweet as a dessert.

For a printable recipe click here


Spice Rubbed Pork With Apple Chutney