My food philosophy is to eat mostly veggies and those that are in season, and for me, Fall is my favorite food season of all. I love the spices in combination with pumpkins and squash: ginger, cinnamon, cloves. Last night while drinking mulled cider and making this dish with friends, one of them asked for seasonal cold weather recipe suggestions.

Below is a quick list of delicious-sounding meals that I found online, all of them using something or a few things that are in season here in North Carolina now: cabbage, apples, kale, sweet potatoes, pecans. While this is not a comprehensive list (the possibilities are endless!), this will give you an idea of the types of ingredients to use in your cooking that are readily available this month at your local Farmer’s Market.

Cabbage & Apple Slaw
Stacked Chicken Enchiladas
Asian Vegetable Soup with Noodles
Asian Shortribs
Red and Napa Cabbage Salad with Braeburn Apples & Spiced Pecans
Pecan Crusted Trout with Orange Rosemary Butter Sauce
Pork Pot Stickers
Pork and Noodle Soup with Shiitake and Snow Cabbage
Curried Carrot, Sweet Potato & Ginger Soup
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Sweet Potato and Pecan Flapjacks
Sweet Potato Stuffing with Bacon & Thyme
Sauteed Greens with Cannellini Beans & Garlic

Images by SassyRadish

I love food and cooking. I have a particular affection for foods that come from my garden and are healthy. There are a handful of careers that I dream about pursuing and Nutritionist is at the top of the list. The idea of adding pureed vegetables to a pizza crust seems intuitive and delicious, not sneaky.

But, since we all have to indulge every once and awhile, it’s nice to find recipes that use ingredients that are in the backyard. Below is a cupcake recipe from Better Homes & Gardens that I recently made. Rosemary is a prolific herb in my garden and here in NC. The nice thing about these cupcakes (apart from tasting great) is that they are moist without using oil.

Lemon Rosemary Cupcakes:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1-3/4 cups cake flour
• 2 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp. lemon extract
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
• 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 recipe Lemon Glaze

1. Let butter and eggs stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Line fifteen 2-1/2-inch muffin cups with paper bake cups; set aside. In medium bowl combine cake flour, rosemary, baking powder and salt; set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In large mixing bowl beat butter on medium-high for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, lemon extract, and vanilla. Beat on medium-high for 2 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping bowl.

3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture and milk to butter mixture; beat on low after each just until combined. Stir in the lemon peel and lemon juice.

4. Spoon batter in prepared cups to three-fourths full. Bake 22 to 25 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean. (Bake 36 mini cakes 15 to 18 minutes; 6 jumbo cakes 25 to 30 minutes.) Cool in muffin cups on rack 5 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely.

5. Spoon Lemon Glaze on cupcakes. Let stand 10 minutes. Makes 15 (2-1/2-inch) cupcakes.

6. Lemon Glaze: In small bowl combine 1 cup powdered sugar and enough lemon juice (5 to 5-1/2 teaspoons) for spreading consistency. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel.

Heidi over at My Paper Crane just posted a really great idea on her blog about creating pinecone cheeseballs. I love these for a fall celebration (ahem, Thanksgiving!) and they look super easy to make.