Apple, Date, and Almond Butter Overnight Oats + Terrain!

I love making resolutions. As a list-maker and checkbox-ticker, resolutions are my jam. I love the idea of making goals that are so much bigger than what my day-to-day lists consist of like laundry, water plants, call insurance company, and confirm dental appt. Yeah, those lists are way less cool.

While I'm not going to share my full list of resolutions, I do have a few things that I'm focusing on like eliminating mind clutter, staying more connected to friends and family, and being more strategic about grocery shopping. For the last one, I'm not talking about strict menu planning, but rather, I'd like to start cooking many of the recipes that I've dogeared in the cookbooks I have, recipes I've pinned from blogs, or copied and pasted in some long lost file on my computer. This has been a struggle in the past because I tend to go to the market and grocery store without a list, buy what looks good, and then come up with a recipe when I get home. Fun stuff because I love creating new recipes and cooking by the seat of my pants, but I know that I can also learn a lot about more complex flavor development and more unfamiliar spices, etc. if I were to actually follow a tried and true tested recipe.

In the spirit of resolutions, I've teamed up with Terrain, Anthropologie's beautiful home and garden shop (and where we happened to get married), to bring you a series of tips to make healthy happen in the kitchen. No matter where on the healthy eating spectrum you lie, we can always use a little reminder and inspiration for how to make healthier decisions in the kitchen and tips that are easy to incorporate into your every day. Many of us know how to eat healthier; it's usually a question of how to fit it into the craziness of real life.

In the first installment, I talk all about why I love overnight oats, and finish with a recipe for Apple, Date, and Almond Butter Oats that I know you're going to love. It's been a favorite around here since I could buy apples at the local market. The best part is that you can make a big batch on the weekend, store it in cute jars, like Terrain's Weck jars, and then enjoy a nutritious breakfast (or snack) ALL WEEK LONG. Amazing, right?

Check out Terrain's blog for the recipe and my tips.

For more recipes for overnight oats, check out my pumpkin pie oats, coconut oats, and chia seed variation.

What New Year's resolutions did you make this year?

Kale and Apple Honey Mustard Slaw with Pumpkin Pie Spiced Quinoa Crunch Almonds

This is one of those recipes that came out of the need to re-purpose and extend leftovers. I had leftover cabbage from making the Apple Honey Mustard Slaw, a bunch of kale, and some toasted nuts. It is the perfect crunchy and clean fall salad to accompany any heavier, richer main course, or you can add a chewy grain and some chickpeas or lentils, and you have a lunch salad for the week. I served it with a melty Taleggio grilled cheese, but you could really eat it with anything. It only gets better with age.

The Pumpkin Pie Spiced Quinoa Crunch Almonds are delicious and perfectly fall on their own and an excuse to make a big batch of them, but you can also substitute toasted almonds. You will just want to adjust the seasoning a bit.

Kale has so many wonderful nutritional benefits, some of which you may not know are vision boosters. A few months ago, I reviewed the book, Eat Right for Your Sight from the American Macular Degeneration Foundation when I made a variation of their delicious Spicy Udon Noodles. The mission of this organization is particularly personal because my mother and sister are both ophthalmologists and have many patients suffering from age-related macular degeneration. In addition to containing wonderful and easy recipes, the book taught me that kale contains lutien and zeaxanthin, two antioxidants that protect the center of the retina and may reduce the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration. So in honor of National Kale Day (October 7th) and the American Macular Degeneration Foundation, here is a perfectly fall kale salad recipe.

Kale and Apple Honey Mustard Slaw with Pumpkin Pie Spiced Quinoa Crunch Almonds

Salad:
1 bunch lacinato kale, stems removed and leaves cut in chiffonade
1/2 small head red cabbage, very thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 sweet and crisp apple, washed and julienned
1 cup Pumpkin Pie Spiced Quinoa Crunch Almonds, roughly chopped
sea salt and pepper to taste

Dressing:
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons honey, preferably local (maple syrup if vegan)
pinch sea salt

Combine kale, red cabbage, carrot and salt into a large bowl. Massage salt into mixture an allow mixture to wilt. Meanwhile prepare dressing. Whisk dressing ingredients together. Pour over kale and cabbage mixture and toss to combine. Add apple and almonds and toss. Taste and adjust seasoning and serve. Enjoy! Serves 6 as a side.

Turkey and Cheddar Burger with Honey Mustard Apple Slaw

I am realizing that I hardly have any meat recipes on here. It is not that I do not eat meat, because I do, but I just find it so much more challenging and fun to create wholesome and nourishing plant-based recipes. While I eat a mostly plant-based diet, I feel better, more energized, with a little meat from time to time. When I am at home, I prefer to cook meat that is locally sourced and free-range, grass-fed, antibiotic and hormone-free, and/or organic. It does cost a bit more to eat meat this way, but because I do not eat it but a few times a week, I am able to justify this extra cost. While I am naturally drawn to more plant-based dishes, when I go out to eat or eat with family or friends, I am more flexible because I enjoy experiencing other peoples' creations. That said, I hope that our culture lessens the emphasis on meat-centric meals, and use meat in a more sustainable and intentional way.

Now, onto this burger. I thought this would be a good way to say good-bye to summer and hello to fall. It merges the summer burger with a fall-inspired slaw. I chose an English muffin here as the bun for a few reasons. English muffins are easy to freeze so they are often something I have on hand. Also, their slight tang complements the juicy burger and sharp cheddar. One of the main reasons I am using an English muffin stems from my experience cooking in restaurants. When I worked as the pastry chef for a restaurant in Norwich, VT, the chef served his most popular item- the burger- on homemade English muffins with Vermont cheddar, and it was dynamite. And guess who was in charge of making those English muffins. Yep, me. I will eventually get around to making a rendition of them on the blog because homemade English muffins are well, words just cannot describe. For simplicity sake, for this recipe, I use a store-bought whole wheat English muffin, toast it, and it gets the job done.

I cook the burgers in a cast iron skillet, although grilling is always an option. With the cast iron pan, I can sprinkle the cheese on after flipping and all the extra bits that fall to the side crisp up while the burger continues to cook. The slaw comes together in a flash. You can use your favorite crunchy apple, but I recommend something sweet and crisp. It may seem like a lot of cabbage at first, but it wilts right down after a good massage with salt, and letting it rest in the honey mustard dressing. Tahini + honey mustard dressing pulls it all together.

Serve alongside some easy Rosemary Garlic Sweet Potato Fries, and you have dinner.

Turkey and Cheddar Burger with Honey Mustard Apple Slaw

Burger:
1 lb. ground turkey, preferably local
2 teaspoons olive oil
sea salt and pepper to taste
4 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese (I used Cabot extra-sharp), grated (about 1 cup)
Honey Mustard Apple Slaw (recipe below)
2 tablespoons tahini, for burger sauce
1 tablespoon reserved honey mustard dressing from slaw below
4 whole wheat English muffins, toasted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow cast iron skillet to heat in oven for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, form 4 patties with the ground turkey. Sprinkle one side with salt and pepper. Remove skillet from oven (turn oven off) and place on stove-top over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons oil, swirl to coat. Add patties, seasoned side down and allow to cook for about 4 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper on the other side. Flip burgers and sprinkle with 1 ounce grated cheddar cheese each. Allow burgers to cook for 3-4 minutes or until done. Remove from heat and allow to rest 5 minutes to allow juices to settle before serving.

Make burger sauce. Mix 2 tablespoons of tahini with 1 tablespoon remaining honey mustard dressing used for slaw.

Assemble burgers. Spread a thin layer of sauce on each English muffin half. Add patty to bottom halves, top with slaw, and top with English muffin. Enjoy! Makes 4 burgers.

Honey Mustard Apple Slaw

1/2 head small read cabbage, sliced very thinly (about 4 cups)
1 carrot, grated
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons honey, preferably
sea salt and pepper to taste
1 medium crisp, sweet apple, julienned (I used Honeycrisp)

Add cabbage and carrot to a bowl. Add salt, and massage salt into vegetables. Vegetables will begin to wilt. Mix remaining ingredients minus apple in a small bowl to make dressing. Reserve 1 tablespoon of dressing for burger sauce. Pour remaining dressing over cabbage mixture and toss until well combined. Set aside for 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Add apple, adjust seasoning to taste, and serve.