Autumn is a great time of year to frequent the local farmer's market and pick up locally grown produce. Add these healthy recipes for fall to your kitchen repetoire for seasonal goodness.
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Tim BrauhnSweet and earthy, this apple, beet, and pear salad recipe combines the best of the autumn harvest. Irresistibly refreshing apples and pears are perfectly enhanced by a slightly sweet apple champagne vinaigrette speckled with shredded apple and topped with salty blue cheese crumbles. Serve it as a light and healthy main course or a special dinner party salad.
Flickr user sporkistThis roasted potato salad recipe is an easy, year-round dish made with readily available, affordable ingredients. Serve the herb roasted potato salad hot and fresh from the oven, or chill it in the refrigerator for a day and serve the salad cold as a healthy side dish.
Simon AughtonThis French cabbage soup recipe makes the ideal farmhouse soup: easy in preparation, rustic in presentation, and exquisitely delicious in taste. The flavors of the vegetables meld together seamlessly with only a hint of smoky salted bacon, lemony thyme, and nutty Gruyere cheese. Serve this with good bread and a bottle of wine for a hearty meal.
Flickr user FoodistablogThe tangy, deep flavor of aged vinegar is a wonderful way to enhance a simple side dish, like this balsamic roasted vegetables recipe. Serve it with roasted poultry or meat for a flavorful, economical meal.
©Rebecca Franklin, Licensed to About.comOven-roasting the cauliflower brings out a fantastic nutty flavor that you just can’t get with other cooking methods. Serve this side dish with Chicken a la Diable or use it as the base for Roasted Cauliflower Soup.
©Rebecca FranklinCaramelized onions give amazing complexity to the hard cider sauce recipe. The sauce is so delicious; the chicken is nearly an afterthought.
Flickr user Laurel FanSavory, a little sweet, and very filling, this pork medallions with caramelized onions and apples recipe is diet-friendly and delicious. This easy to make pork with apples and onions dish isn't enlivened with fat and heavy cream, but with liberal doses of healthy seasonings and fiber-rich onions and apples.
Crystal WoroniukThese caramelized apples are meant to be slightly sweet, not overpowering and sugary, so they’re versatile in nature. Spicy-tart and thoroughly warming, these apples are a fabulous addition to crepes or homemade ice cream. They’re equally at home as an unexpected garnish for mildly spicy grilled chicken or a tropical menu from Martinique.
Danielle TsiThis fig clafouti recipe is a variation on a traditional puffed French custard cake. A touch of ground cinnamon and a drop of Cognac gives a gentle spiciness and depth of flavor to the figs. Served warm, with a dollop of homemade crème fraiche, it creates a rustic, French countryside feel perfect for an cozy family dinner.
©Kevin MarshPoached fruit is a mainstay on nearly every French restaurant’s menu. Easy to make and absolutely delicious, this special dessert is healthy and low fat, so anyone can order it. Try this recipe for poached pears in white wine at home and you’ll be adding it to your kitchen repertoire, too. Serve it with a bit of crème patisserie or almond glace for richer treat – the cream perfectly accents the spiced wine syrup and sweetness of the pears.
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