My favorite season is here; the season of coziness and cinnamon-scented air. IT'S AUTUMN, PEOPLE! There is nothing I don't love about autumn. The weather gets cooler, the drinks get warmer, the food gets hardier, and the earth is at its physical peak.
Autumn has to be my favorite season for food and drink because it combines the fruitiness of the warm seasons with the richness and spices of the colder ones. The key to making your food autumnal is by including classic autumnal flavors: apples, oranges, cranberries, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, thyme, and sage. You will see all of these herbs, spices, and fruits used in this post!
In these recipes, you will see a variety of 't's incorporated into the measurements. The uppercase 'T's stand for tablespoon, and the lowercase 't's stand for teaspoon.
Without further ado, here are my favorite autumn recipes!
Mind-Blowing Apple Cider
You have not lived until you have tasted this apple cider. This recipe is the perfect mixture of fruit and spices, which makes it the poster beverage for the autumn season. I drink it every year and it never fails to blow my mind!
1 gallon Apple Cider
1 cup Orange Juice
5 Cinnamon Sticks
20 Whole Cloves
20 Whole Allspice
Combine ingredients in large pot over medium heat. Once cider starts to simmer, reduce heat to low and let infuse for 2 hours. The longer you let your cider infuse, the better it will taste! My mom told me that when she makes this cider for a party, she will leave it on the stove over low heat for the whole night.
Orange & Cinnamon Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry sauce is the perfect side dish to pair with hardy autumnal food. The tartness and acidity of the cranberries cut through the richness of the meal, giving it a great balance. It's also super easy to make from scratch!
4 cups (12 ounces) Frozen Cranberries
1 cup Orange Juice
3/4 cup Sugar
1 Cinnamon Stick (Optional)
In a sauce pan over medium heat, combine orange juice, cinnamon stick, and sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves.
Reduce heat to low, add cranberries, and stir.
When mixture starts to bubble, mash the cranberries with spoon or potato masher.
Stir occasionally for 10 to 15 minutes or until sauce is at your desired consistency. Remember that it will thicken as it cools.
Take off of heat and let sauce cool; add more orange juice to loosen it up if needed.
Vegetarian Gravy
Vegetarians, suffer no more! There is no need to go another Thanksgiving without gravy on the table. Here is my favorite vegetarian gravy recipe!
3T. Butter
1 Small Onion or Shallot, finely chopped
1 large clove Garlic, minced
1t. Thyme
1/2t. Sage
2T. Flour or Corn Starch
2 cups Vegetable Broth
1T. Soy Sauce
Salt & Pepper
In a sauce pan over medium to low heat, sauté the onions, garlic, sage, and thyme in the butter.
Once onions are soft and translucent, stir in flour and incorporate thoroughly.
Add in your broth and soy sauce and whisk to combine.
Let mixture bubble until it thickens.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Pot Pie Filling
I'm a huge fan of pot pies, but once I became a vegetarian, it was super hard to find one without meat in it. The reason this recipe is titled "Pot Pie Filling" instead of a whole "Pot Pie" is because it is actually quite versatile; you could use it as pot pie filling or simply serve it in a bowl with a buttered roll! I've been doing the latter recently, and it's just as good. This recipe makes 2 to 3 pot pies depending on how much filling you squeeze into each one. I promise you it tastes better than it looks!
1T. Butter
1 Large Potato, peeled and cubed
2 Medium Carrots, thinly coined
1t. Salt
1/2t. Pepper
1/2t. Thyme
1/2t. Sage
1/2t. Oregano
1/2t. Celery Seed
1 cup Water
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
2t. Corn Starch or Flour
In a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, add all ingredients except for water, heavy cream, and cornstarch.
Sauté the vegetables for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add in water to boil the potatoes all the way through and deglazing the pan if necessary.
In a cup, combine the heavy cream and corn starch and whisk until thoroughly combined.
Add heavy cream mixture into the saucepan and cook until mixture thickens.
Let mixture simmer for approximately 5 minutes before turning off the heat.
Serve in a bowl with a buttered roll or bake it in a pie crust!
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
This recipe is rich and delicious, and look at that color! This butternut squash soup is a healthy option for your autumnal menu, and it's still just as filling! The roasting of the squash and the browning of the onions, along with the addition of nutmeg, creates an amazing depth of flavor. This recipe can easily serve 6 people!
1 Large Butternut Squash (about 3 pounds)
1T. Olive Oil
1 Small Onion
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1t. Salt
1/2t. Pepper
1/4t. Nutmeg
4 cups Vegetable Broth
2T. Butter
Halve the butternut squash, lightly oil on all sides, and season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Roast the squash face down in the oven at 475 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes.
While the squash is roasting, heat olive oil in large soup pan over medium heat. Add onion, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
Cook until onions are translucent, then add garlic. Over low heat, cook until onions develop a golden brown color.
Once the squash is done roasting, remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Using a large spoon, remove the flesh of the squash from the skin and add into the soup pan.
Add in vegetable broth and butter.
Using a hand blender, puree mixture until smooth.
That's it for today's post! I hope you saw a recipe that interested you! If you decide t make any of these recipes, take a picture and send it to me via the 'Contact' tab at the top of the page!
Thank you for reading, and I'll see you soon!
Jordan x
