Bright Colored Food to Nourish

I find the colors of the flowers and trees in fall to be so beautiful - the colors seem so much more vibrant than in the summer maybe because the air is clearer? Anyway, I have found the colors in the harvest seem to be so vivid - purple of the beets and kohlrabi, whites of bok choy and turnips - and so many shades and textures of greens! I am having fun getting foods ready for late fall/winter eating by making large batches of soups and stews - I add greens to every stew type dish I make, even if it doesn't call for them. Below is a bit of what we enjoyed this past week - send me how you are enjoying your harvests by emailing me at lindadansbury@comcast.net, and please put Anchor Run in the subject line.

Kale, garlic, basil and cilantro - made the Pork and Kale Rice Bowl I have mentioned so many times before - it is just such an easy and delicious fast 1 pot meal for busy weeknights.

Beets - made beet chips which turned out pretty well. Preheat oven to 325. Slice beets with a mandoline to 1/16" thick and place slices on paper towels - place more towels on top. Line large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place beets in a bowl and drizzle just a little neutral oil in the bowl. Mix them well and then place beets on the trays in a single layer. Sprinkle with herb or herb blend(s) of your choice. Think of za'tar, curry, Italian seasoning, etc, or if you prefer just sea salt. Bake until crisp - this takes upwards of 45 min to an hour.

Escarole, onion, celery, carrot, garlic - made Italian Wedding Soup. A lot of people have their family recipes - I made it much different than what I grew up with because I start with a bit of pancetta (or ham or bacon) and I add white beans near the end and no pasta. Yum!!

Kale, cauliflower, garlic, parsley - made a large salad that I based on a recipe I saw. I lightly steamed the cauliflower and julienned the kale. Placed in a large bowl and made a vinaigrette with lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil and herbs. Mixed it all together and grated some romano cheese over the top - it was delicious.

Mixed greens: arugula, lettuce, escarole, celery, carrot - made a large salad with an Italian vinaigrette and served with leftover local, grass fed steak.