Fall is such a wonderful season. The crisp breezes, the changing leaves, and all the wonderful sweet, savory, spice-filled, comforting foods that are associated with this time of year are so precious because as soon as it shows up, it seems like fall is a mere memory and the holidays are upon us all too quickly. This time of year I just can’t get enough time outside, and our family loves to head to farms in the stunningly beautiful Shenandoah to pick seasonal produce while enjoying the Blue Ridge Mountain views as the leaves change colors.
Of course, being a food loving family, we just can’t seem to get enough of the fall flavors we bring home. Every blogger long awaits the infamous pumpkin season to start, but we also want to highlight all the fresh apples and squashes that show up in the farmer’s market serve for great inspiration for so many recipes.
So if you, like us, want recipe ideas for all of the autumnal seasonal ingredients, we thought you’d enjoy this round-up our team member Katy put together of our favorite fall recipes, and some from our friends who have created some truly amazing dishes.
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Pumpkin Recipes
It seems you can’t get away from pumpkin everything right now, but I’m not complaining! Pumpkin is a great source of paleo-friendly carbs, fiber, and other nutrients. It is a great source of anti-oxidant vitamins such as vitamin-A, vitamin-C and vitamin-E. In fact it has particularly high levels of vitamin-A, providing about 246% of RDA!! Pumpkin is also a good source of B-complex group of vitamins like folates, niacin, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), thiamin and pantothenic acid. So if you are as #pumpkinobsessed as I am, don’t be ashamed! Get as much of this nutrient-dense food as you want!
When Stacy was pregnant with Cole, her favorite food in the world was bread pudding, and our Pumpkin Bread Pudding (1) is absolutely to die for with it’s custard-y, spicy goodness that is just plain comfort.
You can tell we love custard because Against All Grain’s Maple Pumpkin Custard (2) is next on the list for the same reasons, and it is SUPER simple to throw together.
The Domestic Man’s Pumpkin Chorizo Soup (3) is the perfect blend of spicy, savory, sweet, and porky that we look for in a good soup!
The Paleo Mom really does have the best custard-y Pumpkin Pie recipe (4) ever. Matt even made the pie filling on its own for Stacy to eat to refuel during her Strongwoman competition!
BUT if you are looking for a light and airy pie, you should try our other favorite, Primal Palate’s Pumpkin Chiffon Pie. (5)
Of course with all this pumpkin you’ll be cooking, save the seeds and make our Perfectly Roasted Pumpkin Seeds. (6)
I’m sure you have seen recipes for Pumpkin Spice Latte’s floating around the net, but OURS is Kid Friendly with an apple cider base!(7)
Our favorite pumpkin recipe from last year BY FAR was our recreation of Pumpkin Delight Cookies! (8)
After we blogged our recipe for Pumpkin and Bacon Silver Dollar Pancakes (9), it was so good, we just had to put it in our 2nd book, Beyond Bacon.
Last fall we had the amazingly talented Vanessa of Clean Eating with a Dirty Mind as a guest blogger, and she shared this WONDERFUL recipe for Paleo Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Squares (10). #drool
Last but not least, two versions of our highly popular Pumpkin Pucks (12). The original recipe was so yummy and easy, we also decided to create an AIP version of Banana Pumpkin Pucks (11) for Stacy to eat while she was on the stricter Autoimmune Protocol during her elimination phase.
Fall Squash Recipes
Ok ok… I know they are really called Winter squashes, but the fact is that right about this time of year when they start popping up in the farmer’s market, and they will stay with us throughout the winter. Like Pumpkins, winter squashes such as the butternut, spaghetti squash and the kabocha squash are part of the gourd family, and as such they have a lot of the same awesome nutrients that pumpkins offer. They provide significant amounts of potassium, which is important for bone health, and vitamin B6, essential for the proper functioning of both the nervous and immune systems. See? There is a reason you should eat fall squashes during flu season! Their orange-yellow color signals an abundance of powerhouse nutrients known as carotenoids, shown to protect against heart disease. In particular, the gourd boasts very high levels of beta-carotene (which your body automatically converts to vitamin A), identified as a deterrent against breast cancer and age-related macular degeneration.
The Healthiest Ice Cream EVER (1) is by far one of the most popular recipes on our site. We use the butternut squash to make this not-too–sweet healthy ice cream that is 21 Day Sugar Detox compliant.
For a really hearty meal for a cool fall night, try Civilized Caveman Creations Bacon Beef Butternut Squash (2) that will stick to your ribs and be hugely satisfying, especially post-workout.
We really used to love Spaghetti Carbonara, and so we created two dishes that will satisfy those flavor cravings – Spaghetti Squash alla Carbonara (4) and our Spaghetti Carbonara Quiche (3) for a breakfast or brunch! The boys especially like to help get the “noodles” out of the spaghetti squash for these recipes.
Similarly, our boys also will gobble up spaghetti squash in our super easy recipe for “Linguine” with Clam Sauce (5).
If you are lucky enough to find Kabocha Squash, you will be pleasantly surprised to find it a sweet little squash that doesn’t take much to create a delicious side dish. Nom Nom Paleo’s Roasted Kabocha Squash (6) is really easy to throw together on a weeknight.
We just tried Free Range Katy’s Cinnamon Maple Roasted Butternut Squash (7) and it was so yummy! Added bonus? The butter, maple syrup and cinnamon will make your house smell like pancakes while it cooks.
Another great recipe for butternut squash is our Creamy Butternut Bisque with Bacon. (8) You can make this one in a big batch and take it to work for lunch to go with a salad.
PaleOMG’s recipe for Almost 5 Ingredient Pizza Spaghetti Pie (9) is famous around the interwebs. You can add your favorite pizza toppings to this casserole based on spaghetti squash, and it is so yummy, your kids will even love it too!
But for a lighter take on Spaghetti Squash, try this beautiful Chicken Florentine Spaghetti Squash by Popular Paleo (Guest Post on Stupid Easy Paleo) (10). The chicken makes it leaner and light, and the spinach adds another punch of nutrients.
Paleo Porn has a great, simple-meal recipe for Baked Kabocha Squash and Ground Beef (11) plus she has a bonus dessert recipe in that same post!
Lastly, we hosted the adorable Plaid and Paleo last year as a guest poster, and she shared this awesome recipe for Cranberry Pesto Meatballs with Butternut Squash Mash (12) which is perfect for this time of year!
Apple Recipes
Seriously, when apples are in season, we just can’t get enough. There are quite a few apple farms in our area, and Stact and Matt love to take the boys out to pick our own. The fall weather is always awesome, and their boys can’t get enough of this simple, healthy fruit. Of course they are always looking for and creating new recipes to use up all the apples! And the old saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” couldn’t be more true: eating apples on a regular basis has been shown to do all sorts of good things for your health, from boosting your immune system, promoting weightloss, decreasing your risk for heart disease and diabetes, and they can naturally clean your teeth, just to name a few things.
Our Apple & Bacon Stuffed Pork Chops are number (1) on the list because it is one of the heartiest fall dishes that we have created, and we just LOVE pork chops in our house. Pork really lends itself well to sweet pairings, so it goes great with baked apples.
Slim Palate posted this recipe recently for Salted Caramel Apple Tartlets (2) and it’s on the top of our to-make-ASAP list. Stacy especially has a soft spot for Salted dessert recipes of any kind!
If you want to pair your apples with something creamy, try A Girl Worth Saving’s Paleo Apple Pie Ice Cream. (3)
For a treat that will satisfy paleos and vegans alike, Tasty Yummies has an Apple Pie Smoothie. (4)
Zenbelly has a truly beautiful recipe for a traditional Apple Pie that will hit the spot! (5)
For an adult treat, we have an AWESOME recipe for Apple Plum Sangrias (6) that is perfect for a fall party!
I just love The Urban Poser’s recipes with their simple elegance. Her Caramel Apple Coconut Macaroons (7) are a refined twist on the classic caramel apple on a stick.
Another extremely popular recipe on our site is for our Cinnamon Apple Creamed (Hot) Cereal. (8) It’s breakfast comfort in a bowl, and so much better than the thin wheat based version. Ours is filled with nourishing protein that will really fuel you for you day!
Our Butter Pecan Apples (9) are the perfect week night dessert. No added sweeteners, so they are 21 Day Sugar Detox and Whole Life Challenge compliant.
For a so-simple-anyone-can-do-it dessert, check out Real Food Liz’s Ten-minute Apple Crisp. (10)
Our Apple Pie Cupcakes and Caramel Icing (11) are a really fun dessert to let the kids help with, plus they are just dang delicious!
And last, but not least, and probably the recipe that we will be using the bulk of our apples for this year is Matt’s insanely good recipe for Chunky Cinnamon Applesauce. (12) We make it in bulk when the apples are abundant, and then freeze what we don’t devour right away, ensuring we can enjoy applesauce any time of the year.
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I hope you have all enjoyed this Fall Recipe Round Up, and I really hope it has inspired you to get out to your local farms and farmer’s markets and take advantage of all the flavors this season has to offer. I’m so glad that it is officially fall!