Autumn has truly set in here in the North East. The leaves are vibrant. Homes are adorned with pumpkins and strings of twinkly orange lights. Apple crisp is a staple in most households, particularly mine. Bags of halloween candy are flying off store shelves in time for trick-or-treat night. This year, I opted for Kit Kats, Dots and Limited Edition Caramel Apple Milky Ways. The weather has been great for outdoor activities - surprisingly warm and sunny for so late in the season. Last weekend we let our dogs off the leash for a leaf peeping hike through the woods, which they enjoyed so much that they wouldn't get back in the car. But the days continually grow shorter and the evenings cooler. 

Daylight savings begins on Sunday, which means I'll gain an hour of sleep before my early morning client sessions, but for my internal clock, that hour will be lost during the long drive home after my evening sessions. With that in mind, I've gotten a head start on my quick and easy dinner plan. The last thing I want to do when I get home from a long commute is cook.

I love foil packets. Very little clean-up, quick cooking and flavorful. In fact, I expect this blog will have an uptick in the number of foil packet posts in the coming months. This recipe takes a generally unpopular fall vegetable and gives it a Mediterranean twist.

Ingredients:
1 large handful brussel sprouts, halved
1 small red potato, cubed
1 large carrot, diced
1/8 cup raisins
1 tablespoon olive oil
juice of half a lemon
1 tablespoon sugar
salt and pepper to taste
2 small chicken breasts or 1 large breast halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese

Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. Set aside two large rectangles of aluminum foil.

In a bowl, toss the vegetables and raisins with the oil, lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper. Spoon the vegetables onto the center of each foil piece. Top with chicken, and additional salt and pepper. Bring the longest two sides of the foil together and crimp along the edges until the packet is sealed. Place each packet on a cookie sheet. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Remove from oven, carefully peel back the foil to allow the steam to escape. Then plate the contents of each packet. Sprinkle with feta cheese and serve. 

Yield: 2 servings

About seven years ago, we experienced whole wheat overload in my household. I had struggled earlier in my life with wheat sensitivity, and my husband was showing signs of it as well. I started playing around with oat flour to give our digestive systems a break. It baked a little softer than all-purpose wheat flour, but overall seemed like a pretty good substitute. I also swapped canola oil for butter and left out the classic pinch of salt. I very much wanted to test out my new "healthy" chocolate oatmeal cookie to see if anyone would notice the changes. One night, I had the opportunity when my husband and I were invited to a local baseball game. Some of our friends were playing, while the rest of us chatted in the stands. It was cold, so we all huddled together trying to steal blankets from those few who had thought to bring them. About midway through the game, I passed around an extra large Chinese takeout box full of my freshly baked cookies. The guys in our group dived in by the handful and in record time, the empty box landed back in my lap. Success!

I stuck with this recipe for a long time, mostly because my husband liked it so much. Personally, I don't love oil or butter in cookies. I prefer food to be a little lighter on my stomach. So more recently, last night in fact, I broke out my recipe box and started tweaking. My cookie monster husband was not happy. The complaining began, hand waving and all, the minute I mentioned the word change. A few trial cookies later, and he grudging admitted that the (minimally changed) oil-free method was also pretty good. Since we couldn't agree on which recipe was best, I've posted both here for you to judge.

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups gluten free oat flour
1 2/3 cups gluten free Irish instant oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup dark or milk chocolate chips, any size
1/2 cup canola oil ~or~ 1 large apple, peeled, cored and diced ~or~ 1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla flavored almond or soy milk

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat.

Oil Method:
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, oats, baking soda and brown sugar, gently pressing out any lumps. Stir the chocolate chips into the dry mixture. Add the oil and milk, mixing until a sticky dough forms. 

Take a spoonful of dough and roll it into a ball. Place on the silicone mat about 1-inch apart and lightly flatten into a round cookie shape. Continue this process until the sheet is full. Bake for 6-7 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes. With a spatula, carefully lift each cookie onto a cooling rack for an additional 20 minutes.

Oil Replacement Method:
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, oats, baking soda and brown sugar, gently pressing out any lumps. Add the chocolate chips and set aside. Using a blender, puree the diced
​apple or applesauce, with the milk. Stir into the dry mixture until a sticky batter forms. 

Drop spoonfuls of the dough onto the silicone mat, about 1-inch apart. Lightly flatten into a round cookie shape. Continue this process until the sheet is full. Bake for 7-8 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes. With a spatula, carefully lift each cookie onto a cooling rack for an additional 20 minutes.

Tip: If the dough is too dry, add additional milk by the tablespoon. If the dough is too wet, add additional flour by the tablespoon. 

Yield: Approximately 18-24 cookies
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Shown here: knobby turmeric looks very similar to it's cousin, ginger. It can be grated, sliced or juiced, peel and all. Watch out, this wonderful root vegetable will leave stains!

I'll admit, the name "October Martini" is a bit misleading and an utter letdown for anyone on the hunt for a real cocktail. But as with all of my creations, this one can be tweaked. Just add an ounce or two of your favorite spirits. 

For those newer to the world of juicing, I like to keep the ingredient list short. Turmeric, earthy in flavor, is best added in small amounts to sweet, slightly acidic fruit. Honey tangerines fit the bill perfectly. Nothing else needed. However, with everyone on the hunt for all things pumpkin, I decided to spice things up. If you choose to add this optional ingredient, be prepared, prepping a fresh pumpkin requires a fair amount of elbow grease. Canned pumpkin will not taste the same and leaves the juicer little to work with in the way of, well...juice!

Usually when I decide to make a juice, I choose one ingredient for specific health benefits and build from there. In this case, I was most interested in curcumin, an anti-inflammatory property within turmeric. My husband suffers greatly from Crohn's Disease, a form of IBD, and arthritis associated with Crohn's Disease. Studies show that free radicals causing inflammation related to this condition, as well as other forms of arthritis, can be controlled to some degree by ingesting curcumin. This antioxidant is also showing promise as an anti-carcinogen.
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The next step to a good juice is choosing a complimentary flavor. Honey tangerines produce a high quantity of juice and are sweet enough to offset the powerful flavor of turmeric. They also contain beta carotene, Vitamin C, calcium, chlorine, folic acid, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, sulphur, and to a lesser degree - B Vitamins, copper, iron and zinc.

Pumpkin, the optional addition, has it's own wide variety of healthy components. It provides a huge amount of B-complex vitamins, beta carotene which converts to Vitamin A, and Vitamin C. It also contains calcium, copper, Vitamin E, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. 
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This is my go-to juice for autumn as we transition into the sneezy, sniffly winter season. And it's so festive, most health-nut adverse people will drink it before inquiring what's in it.

Ingredients:
Optional: 1 small pie pumpkin, peeled, seeded and diced
1 inch of fresh turmeric root
4 honey tangerines, peeled

Directions:
​Peel the rind from the pumpkin with a knife or sturdy peeler. Cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds. Dice the pumpkin small enough to fit through the juicer. In small batches, separately press the pumpkin pieces, turmeric and tangerines through a juicer of your choice. Stir to combine and pour into martini glasses. Garnish with any leftover pieces of turmeric and serve immediately.

Yield: 2-3 martinis or 1 large glass of juice

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