Fabulous Fall Colors, Fantastic Fall Vegetables

We're knee deep in Autumn; by now the leaves have changed to a rainbow of colors and are falling all around us. Halloween brought critters in costume, marching through piles of leaves and pumpkins, and wandering away full of sugar. It's my favorite time of year for many reasons, but not the least of which is I get a cheap thrill out of eating food that matches the landscape around me. The Fall food color-scape is a bevy of rich jewel tones--vibrant reds, brilliant yellows, energetic oranges.

Root vegetables and those that grow low to the ground thrive this time of year, so fill your plates with potatoes, beets, carrots, squashes, and onions. Today's recipe throws another fall flavor--apple--into the mix and gives this dish even more depth. I served mine with some roasted chicken over brown rice but you could easily make this a vegetarian meal or a Thanksgiving side dish as well. Even better, roast a chicken in the middle of this sea of root vegetables and baste with extra apple cider.

Apple Cider Roasted Root Vegetables
--5 whole garlic cloves
--1/2 large onion
--2 medium sized beets, washed and greens removed
--1 honey crisp or gala apple, cored
--5 small potatoes (or more if you use fingerling potatoes)
--3 medium-large sized carrots, scrubbed and greens removed
--fresh sage
--(optional) 4-5 small tomatoes
--2 TBSP olive oil
--salt & pepper to taste
--4 TBSP apple cider

Roughly chop all the vegetables (except for the garlic, leave that whole) and the apple into chunks. If you opt for small tomatoes, leave those whole (as pictured) so the skins come off easier. Using your hands, rip the sage into large pieces.

Place all the vegetables and the sage into a plastic bag. Pour in the olive oil and shake vigorously to coat all the vegetables. Sprinkle a little salt and crack a little black pepper into the bag. Again, move the items all around so the salt and pepper do a little disco on the mixture.

Pour the contents of the bag into a glass oven-safe dish. Pour the apple cider evenly over the mix. Bake at 400 degrees until vegetables are tender, tomatoes are soft and skins come off easily, and potatoes begin to get a lovely brown crust (45-ish minutes). It's okay if things are a little pink, that's just the beets sharing the love.

Eat!

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 189 per serving

I Like My Chicken Juicy

One of my favorite ways to prepare meats (especially in the winter) is by braising. When braising any meat you first want to sear the meat at a high temperature to lock in all the delicious juice (but not cook all the way through). Then the meat is submerged into a liquid and cooked slowly.

I like to experiment with different braising liquids, though broth, stock, and wine are the most common liquids. The following recipe uses apple juice with some wine and bourbon for addition flavors. I typically add something with an alcohol content because it helps some of the liquid to evaporate and the sauce will thicken as a result.

Apple Juice Braised Chicken

--Olive oil
--chicken
--garlic salt
--black pepper
--paprika
--onion, roughly chopped
--garlic
--fennel bulb, ends trimmed, center core removed, sliced
--1 cup dry white wine
--1 cup apple juice or cider
--2 TB bourbon
--2 green apples, cored and sliced

Trim any fat off of chicken, rinse and pat dry. Season with garlic salt, pepper and paprika.

In a large deep-sided skillet that has a well-fitting lid, heat a quarter-sized dollop of olive oil over medium high heat. Sear both sides of chicken (2-ish minutes each side). Remove from heat and set aside.

In the same deep-sided skillet, turn the heat down to medium and add the onion, garlic, and fennel. Cook for a few minutes until veggies begin to brown and/or get translucent.


Nestle the chicken back into the pan. Cover with the apple slices. Pour in the apple juice, wine, and bourbon. Turn heat up to high and allow liquid to come to a rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute.

Cover with the lid and turn heat down to simmer. Simmer for 35-45 minutes or until chicken is cooked thoroughly. Liquid will reduce and sauce will thicken some. I've also had success adding in sliced potatoes and/or quartered brussels sprouts when I was craving starch or veggies. I suggest serving over brown rice!