Favoring fall produce and easy plant-based recipes
One of my favorite things about fall is walking through a farmers market and seeing the produce change. The bright berries and summer tomatoes start giving way to squash, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, pears and all the beautiful greens that make their way into my kitchen (and get a good wash to get clean and chemical-free) this time of year.
I tend to cook a little differently when the weather cools down, too. I want food that’s warm and hearty, but still simple enough that I can actually make it on a Tuesday night. That usually means roasting a big pan of vegetables, throwing together a grain bowl, making a pot of soup or finding a way to use whatever I already have in the refrigerator.
Fall produce makes that pretty easy.
There is so much you can do with a few seasonal vegetables and some basic plant-based staples. Sweet potatoes can become the centerpiece of a bowl. Pumpkin can turn into a creamy pasta sauce. Chickpeas can add substance to soup or crisp up beautifully in the oven. Winter squash can be roasted, stuffed or blended into soup.
And you don’t need a complicated recipe to make any of it taste good!
Here are five easy plant-based recipes to put those fall fruits and vegetables to work.
Veggie cioppino
A big pot of soup is hard to beat when the weather starts to cool down, and my signature veggie cioppino is an especially good one to have in your rotation. It gets its hearty texture from mushrooms and chickpeas, with tomatoes, celery, onion and garlic building the base.
This plant-based recipe is straightforward and makes a satisfying meal without requiring a long list of ingredients. I also love recipes like this because they are easy to adapt. Add some kale at the end if you have it, use whatever mushrooms look best at the market or serve it with a piece of crusty bread.
Ingredients
Olive oil
Vegan butter
Mushrooms, sliced
Onion, diced
Celery, diced
Garlic, minced
Fire-roasted tomatoes
Vegetable bouillon (sub broth if no bouillon)
1 can chickpeas
Old Bay seasoning
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Fresh parsley
Salt and pepper
Directions
Sauté the mushrooms in vegan butter until they are browned, then set them aside. In the same pot, cook the onion, celery and garlic in olive oil until softened.
Add the tomatoes, bouillon, chickpeas and seasonings. Bring everything to a simmer and let it cook for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Add the mushrooms back to the pot and cook for a few more minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then finish with fresh parsley.
Serve it with warm, crusty bread for an easy fall dinner!
Maple-roasted sweet potato and chickpea bowls
Sweet potatoes are one of those fall staples that can go in almost anything. For an easy dinner, roast them with chickpeas, then serve over quinoa or brown rice with greens and a creamy tahini dressing.
The combination of sweet roasted vegetables, crispy chickpeas and nutty tahini makes this much more satisfying than the ingredient list might suggest!
Ingredients
2 large sweet potatoes
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Olive oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Salt and pepper
Cooked quinoa or brown rice
Kale or spinach
Pumpkin seeds
For the dressing:
2 tablespoons tahini
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Water
Pinch of salt
Directions
Heat the oven to 425°F. Cut the sweet potatoes into bite-sized pieces and place them on a baking sheet with the chickpeas.
Toss with olive oil, maple syrup, smoked paprika, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
Whisk the tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup and salt together. Add water a little at a time until the dressing reaches your preferred consistency.
Build each bowl with quinoa or brown rice, greens, roasted sweet potatoes and chickpeas. Drizzle with tahini dressing and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.
Veggie fried rice
Fried rice is one of those meals that can rescue a refrigerator full of odds and ends. My version of veggie fried rice combines rice with tofu, edamame and vegetables, and it is easy to adjust based on what you have available.
For a fall version, add diced sweet potato, chopped Brussels sprouts, carrots, cabbage or mushrooms. The more vegetables you have, the more colorful and satisfying the finished dish will be.
The key is using cooked rice that has been refrigerated. Cold rice holds up much better in the pan and gives you the texture you want rather than turning soft.
Ingredients
Cooked rice, refrigerated
Tofu
Edamame
Sweet potato, diced
Brussels sprouts, chopped
Carrots, diced
Onion
Garlic
Mushrooms
Sesame oil
Tamari
Rice vinegar
Vegetarian oyster mushroom sauce
Salt and pepper
Green onion or cilantro
Directions
Press the tofu and cut it into small pieces. Cook it in a little sesame oil until browned and crisp, then set it aside.
Add the vegetables to the pan and cook until they are tender. Add the refrigerated rice and stir everything together.
Season with tamari, rice vinegar and mushroom oyster sauce. Let the rice cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, so some of the grains have a chance to brown.
Stir in the tofu and edamame toward the end. Top with green onion or cilantro and serve immediately.
Creamy pumpkin pasta with white beans
Pumpkin is good for so much more than pie. It makes a surprisingly simple pasta sauce, especially when you pair it with garlic, sage and nutritional yeast.
White beans add protein and make the dish more filling, while the pumpkin gives the sauce a naturally creamy texture.
Ingredients
8 ounces pasta
1 cup pumpkin purée
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
½ teaspoon dried sage
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Fresh parsley or sage
Directions
Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Before draining, reserve about ½ cup of the pasta water.
While the pasta cooks, heat a little olive oil in a skillet and sauté the garlic until fragrant. Add the pumpkin, vegetable broth, nutritional yeast, sage, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Stir until the sauce is warm and smooth. Add the white beans and cook for a few minutes.
Toss the sauce with the pasta, adding a little reserved pasta water if needed to loosen it. Finish with fresh parsley or sage.
Roasted fall vegetable and quinoa bowls
A bowl is one of the easiest ways to build a plant-based meal because you can start with whatever vegetables you have and add a few simple ingredients around them.
For this version, roast a combination of cauliflower, carrots, Brussels sprouts and winter squash. Add quinoa, chickpeas and a lemon-tahini dressing, and you have a colorful dinner that can also double as lunch the next day!
Ingredients
1 small head cauliflower
2 carrots
2 cups Brussels sprouts
1 delicata squash
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Olive oil
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper
Cooked quinoa
Pumpkin seeds
Fresh parsley
For the dressing:
3 tablespoons tahini
Juice of 1 lemon
1 small garlic clove, grated
Water
Salt
Directions
Heat the oven to 425°F. Cut the cauliflower into florets, slice the carrots and Brussels sprouts, and cut the winter squash into half-moons. You can leave the skin on the squash because it becomes tender when roasted.
Place the vegetables and chickpeas on a baking sheet. Toss with olive oil, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Roast for about 25 to 30 minutes, turning the vegetables once, until everything is tender and browned around the edges.
While they roast, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, garlic and salt. Add water until the dressing is thin enough to drizzle.
Serve the roasted vegetables and chickpeas over quinoa. Add pumpkin seeds and fresh parsley, then drizzle with the tahini dressing.
Making fall produce part of your routine
Eating more seasonally does not have to mean planning every meal around a recipe. Sometimes the easiest approach is to buy a few vegetables that look good, bring them home and figure out what you can make from them.
Once you have a few of those things ready, you can turn them into several different meals throughout the week with a little creativity. A roasted sweet potato can go into a grain bowl one night and become part of a hash the next morning. Leftover roasted vegetables can be folded into fried rice. Chickpeas can go into soup, bowls, salads, and so on.
Fall also happens to offer some of the most nutrient-dense and versatile produce of the year. Squash and sweet potatoes provide beta-carotene and fiber. Leafy greens bring vitamins and minerals to the table. Beans and chickpeas provide plant-based protein and fiber, while nuts and seeds add healthy fats and texture.
When you can buy some of those ingredients locally, even better. Farmers markets are a great place to see what is actually in season where you live, talk with the people growing your food and bring home something you may not normally buy.
You do not need to make every meal from scratch or completely change the way you eat. Start with one seasonal vegetable, roast it and add it to something you already like. It can really be that simple.