to Whenever I have poached pears, I think about Rémy Fünfrock, the pastry chef who changed my life forever. He took a just graduated girl (who was trying to figure out how to combine her passions with a job) under his wings, forbid her from applying to culinary school and jump started her career in the food industry. Rémy is also the first person to introduce me to poached pears. 

Around this time ten years ago, on the Le Voyage section of the Café Boulud Palm Beach dessert menu, we featured a Frozen Hazelnut Parfait with Warm Poundcake and a Poached Pear. 

Ridiculously delicious! Not to mention that all of Rémy's dessert looked like pieces of art. 

Rémy taught me so many kitchen techniques and introduced me to new desserts from which I realized for the first time in my life I preferred fruit desserts over chocolate (gasp). I am forever grateful for the care and time he put into sharing the beauty of this fabulous trade, training me and answering all of many many MANY questions I had (even if he had to ask me to shut it once in awhile!). 

When I was at the store the other day there was a great deal on organic Bartlett pears, so naturally I jumped on it and went straight home to poach. There are numerous ways to poach fruit, but I swoon over red wine poached pears likely because of the great memories from Café Boulud. Also, poached pears can be used for both sweet and savory dishes and look so elegant while being so easy to prepare. For this recipe, I added some citrus flavors and seasonal spices to go along with the fall mood.

In addition to the pears, I tried something new this time since I knew I was going to have the pears with my almond milk oats and sweetened up the red wine reduction by adding maple syrup. DELISH! 

You can use the pears and sauce for a variety of dishes: serve with some yogurt or ice cream, slice and add to a sandwich or top off a salad. I fanned a pear and drizzled the sauce over my morning oats (see first pic) and had one of the best breakfasts ever!! Check out the recipes below! 

Red Wine Poached Pears 
& Maple Syrup Red Wine Reduction
Yields: 4 servings

• 4 each pears (peeled)
• 2 cups red wine (used Malbec in these)
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoons orange juice
• 3 each cinnamon sticks
• dash of ground cloves
• dash of ground allspice

For the reduction:

• 1-1/2 Tablespoons maple syrup

In a small pot, bring all the ingredients (except the pears) to a boil, then turn down the heat to a simmer.

Place the pears on their sides (yes, only half the pear will be covered). Let simmer for 5 minutes and then flip the pears so the opposite side is covered. Repeat for about 20-30 minutes until the pears are a rich red cover and cooked yet firm. 

Remove the pears from the heat and cool. Transfer the pears and red wine broth to a storage container and chill overnight (or at least 3 hours). 

To make the reduction, remove the cinnamon sticks and pour the broth into another small pot. Simmer the broth for about 20 minutes until it starts to thicken to a desired consistency (note the maple syrup will thin it out a tiny bit). Stir in the maple syrup. Drizzle on top of your dish or let cool to use later.

It's easy to see that I don't really contribute too much to the savory recipe world but this little concoction is something I'm not afraid to share! 

Last weekend I vowed to not leave the house for one day because I'm always on the go and was beginning to feel homesick. And it was one of the best days I've had in a long time. I played in the kitchen for hours, cleaned and organized a long awaited list of things too boring to mention and just simply chilled out with the big screen. For which I needed some snacks...

I'd been jonesing for some sweet potato chips (because anything sweet potato is my vice) but similar to my cookie rule: if you want chips, makes chips. So I made chips! Just a basic paprika spiced sweet potato crisp with some olive oil and Maldon sea salt. But I figured if I'm eating chips, I should pair them with something a bit more nutritious for me and that would provide some protein since meals and snacks should be a nice balance of protein and fiber. Given this time of year, it's only natural I needed my chip dip to be seasonal so I shook up a simple white kidney bean dip with my left over sweet potato puree, allspice, nutmeg and cloves. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm!!  Tasty treat loaded with protein, fiber, healthy fats, beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin B-6, iron, magnesium, potassium and more. 

So why the pesto if the 'hummus' was so yummy? I was Sunday meal prepping and made pesto to use in a pasta dish. After tasting it, I quickly realized it really complimented the 'hummus.' 
You never know until you try, so always try because you might be pleasantly pleased! :) 

For the Basil Walnut Pesto, I sort of just used what I had in the house and didn't really measure the amounts. It was probably about 1 cup of fresh basil, 2/3 cup walnuts, 1 clove of garlic, 1/2 cup olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Just threw everything but the oil into the food processor and blended until nearly smooth. Added the olive oil and kept processing the pesto until it was smooth. 

Then seasoned to taste and voilà! 

Sweet Potato Cannellini 'Hummus'
Yields: ~2 cups

• 1 16 ounce can cannelliini beans (drain and rinse)
  
• 1/2 cup sweet potato puree
  
• 1 clove garlic (diced)
  
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
  
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil (bit more to drizzle)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  
• 1/8 teaspoon cloves
  
• salt and pepper to taste
  

Puree all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth (or desired consistency).

Pour into a bowl and drizzle with additional olive oil if desired. Serve with crudité or freshly baked chips. 

You will quickly learn that I care a tremendous amount about breakfast, am a self-proclaimed breakfast-pusher and still believe it IS the most important meal of the day despite arguments and studies against the age-old saying. 

This is why: breakfast jumpstarts my day and ultimately motivates me to end the day as well as it starts.  

Eating breakfast is a daily reminder that I begin the day on the right foot, nourishing not just my body but also my mind. The positive start to the day gives me more energy physically and mentally, allowing me to concentrate better knowing that I am prepared to work or study without dealing with mood swings or cravings from lightheadedness due to low blood sugar levels. Choosing to have a healthful breakfast not only gets your engine going, but also prompts good decision making from the moment you get up. You are more likely to avoid the worse for you foods and prevent overeating at lunch or dinner. 

Even if there are clashing studies on breakfast's physiological benefits, there are plenty of studies showing that skipping breakfast is associated with eating more throughout the day, greater BMI (body mass index), weight gain and metabolic syndrome, a group of risk factors that can lead to serious health problems such as heart disease and diabetes (1,2,3,4). Those risk factors include a large waist circumference, low HDL cholesterol levels (high-density lipoproteins aka ‘good cholesterol’), high triglyceride levels, high fasting blood sugar and high blood pressure (5). Earlier this year a prospective study from Sweden also reported that adolescents who skip breakfast or have "poor breakfast habits" are at increased risk for metabolic syndrome later in life. Eek! Too young!!

If your main excuse to skip breakfast is that you don’t have enough time in the morning to prepare, then try making it the night before (ex. overnight oats or yogurt parfait) or making something that is easy to eat during your commute (ex. veggie omelet wrap, homemade smoothie or nut butter on toast). Remember, breakfast doesn’t have to be huge or even comprised of traditional breakfast foods, but it does need to be a nutritious combination of complex carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats, and limited in sugar and saturated fats. 

Check out one of my favorite balanced breakfasts that you only need to make once but can eat for a week (i.e. meal prep) when you know your schedule is going to be extra busy. My Hearty Apple Almond Crisp is loaded with fiber (whole grains, fruit), protein and omega-3 fatty acids, all necessary nutrients to keep my brain focused, my hunger managed, my mood stabilized, my digestive system running and my heart healthy. 

And the recipe is easy peasy: place the fruit mixture in the pan, top with the oats mixture and bake in the oven until the crisp turns golden brown and the fruit liquids start to boil through the top. This recipe includes apples (yes, I am still using my Annual Farm Crawl apples - 13 pounds is a lot!), plums and blueberries, but feel free to get creative and switch up the combinations to your fruit preferences. 

Hearty Apple Almond Crisp
Yields: 8 servings (7" x 11" glass baking pan)

• 3 medium apples
• 2 chopped plums
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 2 Tbsp orange juice (or lemon juice)
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup 

Topping

• 1 cup oats
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1/4 cup flaxseeds, whole 
• 3/4 cup walnuts (chopped)
• 1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 375*F. 

Combine the topping dry ingredients in a bowl.  FYI - the flaxseeds have a strong nutty flavor to them so if you don't want that to stand out, cut the amount in half.  

In a separate bowl, chop up the apples and plums into 1"-2" pieces and combine with the blueberries. Add all of the spices, orange juice and maple syrup from the first list of ingredients and stir until all of the fruit is coated. Spread the mixture into the bottom of a baking pan (make sure to grease it - I misted it with olive oil). 

Add the almond milk, maple syrup and olive oil to the dry mix. Spread the oats mixture evenly on top of the fruit base.

Bake the crisp for ~45 minutes until the topping turns golden brown and the liquid starts to bubble through. 

Eat alone or top with some nonfat plain Greek yogurt. Enjoy!! :D

It's pretty obvious how excited I get for the Annual Farm Crawl, and I get equally excited for the aftermath too. I spend weeks using my farm fresh apples in a variety of recipes, some new some old. One sweet treat I always make is applesauce in the slow cooker. It's easy, delicious and quite nutritious for a snack or a side. 

The slow cooker is a staple in my kitchen simply because of its simplicity. For most of us our days are extremely busy running around from one place to the next. A slow cooker allows you to minimally prep for a meal and leave it to cook while you're taking care of business, only to return for ready to be deliciousness. I literally took ten minutes, threw all of the ingredients in the pot, pressed the on button, went to bed, and woke up to chunky applesauce. Okay, so maybe I didn't sleep enough this night but rising to smell of sweet apples, cinnamon and ginger drifting through the house made getting up earlier much easier. ;)

The next step was to add the seasonings. This part is up for interpretation because we all have different taste preferences. I like my applesauce with a little kick, so if you don't particularly like spicy applesauce, I recommend lessening the measurements of the cloves and ginger. 

I mixed in the rest of the ingredients, set the pot to cook and ta-da!! 

Despite the picture making the apples look like chili, I guarantee the applesauce looks prettier in person and also smells heavenly! :D

Since I knew my applesauce would eventually be part of an apple cake recipe, I used an immersion blender to get a smoother texture. You can use a blender or any other item to puree the apples, but if you use the immersion blender, go slowly because it may splash! And can be hot!

Now you're ready to have your homemade applesauce! See?! An incredibly nutritious and delicious sweet treat with minimal effort. My favorite eats include topping with some nonfat plain greek yogurt or spreading on some toast. Enjoy! :)

Seasonal Spicy Slow Cooker Applesauce
Yields ~4 cups

• 7 each apples 
• 1 each juice of a lemon 
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 7 cinnamon sticks (1 per apple)
• 1-1/2 tsp cloves, ground
• 3/4 tsp ginger
• 1-1/2 cup water (add 1/4 cup if cooking longer)

Chop the apples (with the peel!) into large chunks and place them into the pot. Squeeze the lemon juice over the apples. Mix in the maple syrup. Add the seasonings and water, and stir until the apples are evenly coated. Cover the pot with the lid. 

Cook the apples on low heat for 4-6 hours. I leave this decision up to you and your preferences. The applesauce will be a bit thicker if you cook it longer.  

Let the applesauce partially cool and puree until desired consistency. Serve immediately or store in containers in the fridge for later. 

The one thing that makes the end of summer acceptable for me is the Annual Farm Crawl my friends and I do each fall. This tradition warms my heart because not only do I get to escape the city for a day and play in nature but one of my best friends (who's also my go to eating buddy) flies in from Los Angeles and we girls spend the whole day catching up. Plus, I know I'll be spending a lot of time in my favorite room, the kitchen, baking amazing apple treats and cooking delectable dinners while fueling my body in the most healthful, nourishing way. I mean, just look at the loot I brought home!!

We always get our apples from Riamede Farms in Chester, New Jersey. Last year with the excessive rain the selections were limited but this year, there was an abundance of variety: Macoun, Cortland, Liberty, Jonagold, Gala, Macintosh, and Golden Delicious Smoothie. Oh they were so crispy and juicy! I tried to be conservative but somehow walked away with 13 pounds of apples!! :/ 

On the way out of the orchards I usually pick up some teeny pumpkins and gourds. However, for the first time, we went to the tomato patch and plucked fresh red and orange cherry tomatoes. Seriously nature's candy!! 

In addition to Riamede Farms, we like to stop at a new (to us) farm too. This year, we drove up to Miller's Hill Farm in Mendham, New Jersey (just a bit away from Riamede). We were blown away! There was a rainbow display of tomatoes and bell peppers, and loads of fresh squash, eggplant, sweet corn, onions, garlic and hot peppers. My selection to your right:

We actually went to Miller's Hill Farm before Riamede Farms, but many of us had regrets about the farm fresh items we didn't get, so we returned when we finished apple picking. My regret?? The fresh eggs. I met the chickens and am always amazed by the beautiful variety in size and color of the eggs.  

Now that I'm done bragging over my farm fresh luscious loot, I'll share the first of my many apple creations: Apple Quinoa Porridge for breakfast today. Full of protein, fiber, healthy fats and the freshest of fruit, I feel grateful for good friends, hard working farmers and the marvels of nature, and am also properly fueled to get this day started. Hope you all have a great one too! :)

Apple Quinoa Porridge
Yields: 2 servings

• 1/2 cup quinoa (uncooked)
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup almond milk, unsweetened
• 1 apple, chopped
• 1 cup blueberries
• 2 Tbsp almonds, raw, sliced
• 2 tsp cacao nibs (optional)
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• 2 tsp cinnamon (more to top if desired)

In a pot, bring the quinoa and water to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes until quinoa is fully cooked. Add almond milk, apple and cinnamon and cook on low heat until apple starts to get slightly soft. 

Pull porridge from stove and pour into bowls. Top with blueberries, almonds and cacao nibs, and drizzle with maple syrup. And yes, of course you can choose any toppings you like! Enjoy!