Meals to Fall For

I find this time of year both beautiful and depressing, probably for the same reasons that most other people do. It’s hard to wave goodbye to the summer and fight the urge to just go inside and hibernate - especially in Toronto, where summer lasts a whopping 10-12 weeks and winter, a bone-numbing 40. So I try to look for the good in the autumn – the gorgeous colours; the coziness of a big, comfy sweater; curling up in front of a fire, and of course, the food. No, smartass – I do not mean the pilfered morsels of my daughter’s Hallowe’en loot. I mean the food.

Squash, onions, parsnips, sweet potatoes, apples, peppers – I find the autumn weeks of the farmers’ markets some of my favourites of the year, bursting with roots and bulbs and nightshades and tree-fruits. There they all sit, fat and mellow, smug in the knowledge that they will be plucked as readily from the market’s tables as they were from the earth. And I for one, am happy to oblige them.

So, I invite you to put off the hibernation and join me for one more meal. I promise it will leave you feeling as warm and plump and full and cozy as a bear in her den. And anyway, you’re not going to want to sleep on an empty stomach.

 

Autumn Harvest Skillet

Prep Time: 10 min.
Cook Time: 20 min.
Feeds: 4-6

-3 sausages (not breakfast), cut into chunks – I used local, organic chicken sausage but any ‘smokie’ type will do, including soy
- 3 medium peppers (I used red, yellow and orange, like the leaves, y’know?), cut in strips
- 1 medium onion, sliced length-wise into strips
- handful mushrooms, cut into fat slices

- In a large skillet, brown the sausage in about 2 tbsp. olive oil.
- Add all the veggies and sautee with lid on, over med. heat for about 10 min, or until veggies are   consistency you like. (I like ‘em quite soft for this recipe.) Serve over couscous or quinoa

Variations: Feel free to add other veggies – eggplant, zucchini, tomato, butternut or acorn squash; most any would do.

Instead of serving this with quinoa or couscous, turn this into a delicious, open-faced sandwich: spoon it onto one half of a Kaiser, panini or other bun, top with a slice of provolone cheese and place under the broiler for 3 minutes.

*SoundBITE*
When carving out your Hallowe’en pumpkin this week, be sure to save the seeds. Wash ‘em, dry ‘em, sprinkle some salt (or cinnamon, or curry powder) on ‘em and roast up a healthy snack full of fibre, protein, zinc, magnesium and good fats.

Comments

[No Mother Earth]

Hey - I just carved our pumpkins, and finally did something with the seeds this year. (Well, actually, my mom did. I'm such a loser)

This meal sounds fabuloso, though, would it work with rice, d'ya think?

[katie ~ motherbumper]

It sounds so easy, I'm inspired and the colours look phenomenal. I'm always looking for good ideas for sausage usage (take that anyway you will).