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

Party With Some Peaches

"Palisade is the peach capital of Colorado," tells the Palisade Chamber of Commerce website. But beyond peaches, you can also find apricots, okra, plums, honey, and wine. Oh yes. Palisade is the promised land for lovers of fresh fruits, vegetables, and winos alike. So, to pay homage to the Presidents of the United States of America (the band, not the men), I went to the country and ate a lot of peaches. And then...I brought back a whole case of peaches to cook with.

I took a third of these and froze them--so you can expect some delicious peach pie or cobbler recipes later in the season when you're craving that fresh-tasting fleshy goodness. But what to do with the rest? I declare this week is peach week here at Bacon & Other Bad Habits. So, Viola!, here is one of the recipes that I cooked up as a result of my peach adventure.

This pork chop with peach and sage compote might seem like one of the simplest recipes. And it certainly isn't complicated. But don't confuse a simple preparation with a lack of flavor. The sweetness of the peaches combines with the fresh sage to compliment the pork without overwhelming it. In short, this recipe is easy and really f-ing tasty; a powerful combination don't you think?

Pork Chops With Peach & Sage Compote
--4 boneless pork chops
--olive oil cooking spray
--garlic salt
--black pepper
--4 fresh peaches, pitted and chopped (I leave the skins on mine but if the texture freaks you out, remove the skin)
--fresh sage leaves, ripped into chunks

Rinse the pork loin chops and pat dry. Cut away any additional fat or skin. Crack black pepper onto one side of the chop. Follow up with a dusting of garlic salt. Using your fingers, press the spices into the pork. Flip the chops over and repeat.

Heat a cooking-spray-coated skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the pork chops on both sides to lock in the juices. Turn the heat down to medium and cook the chops for 5-ish minutes on each side. Remove from the heat to rest.

Add the chopped peaches to the same pan. You won't need to add any cooking oil or spray, just let the peaches cook/simmer in their own sweet juices. Add the ripped sage leaves and cook, stirring often, until the peaches are softened and warmed and the sage begins to get crispy on the edges. Add the pork back into pan and cook until the pork is heated through. It should be a pale pinkish white when you cut through the thickest/middle part of the chop.

Serve these guys alone or over a serving of rice.

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4
Calories: 274 calories (recipe above, does not include addition of rice)

Domo Arigato Mister Risotto

I was craving some warm, comforting flavors and here's what I came up with.

Prosciutto is like ham's fancy cousin (which makes it closely related to our good friend bacon) and is one of those meats that "plays well with others" and can be easily added to many dishes.

Risotto is equally versatile and can be part of many dishes, no matter the season. It can be a process to make, simply because you need to add lots of liquid and stir often, so when making risotto it's always helpful to have a kitchen partner in crime.

Risotto with Prosciutto and Sage
--1 lb. risotto (also called arborio rice)
--1 cup of dry white wine
--2+ cups chicken broth
--olive oil
--4 slices of prosciutto, chopped into smaller chunks
--fresh sage (to taste)
--sliced mushrooms (I used baby bellas)
--grated asiago cheese
--salt & pepper

In a pot or large pan, cook the risotto to package instructions substituting 1 cup of liquid with the wine and using chicken broth as your cooking liquid (no water).

Cooking risotto is a batch process so you'll start out with one cup of liquid and once the grains suck that up you'll add another cup of liquid, stirring all the while until that liquid is sucked up and then you'll add more liquid...

While the risotto cooks, heat a medium sized skillet on medium heat. Add a quarter-sized pour of olive oil and allow the oil to heat for a few moments before adding in the prosciutto chunks.

Saute, stirring often, until prosciutto begins to brown. Add in the sage by taking the fresh leaves and tearing them into pieces over the skillet.


Add in the mushrooms and stir the mixture together. Let the mushrooms cook down and add more sage if desired.


Once the risotto is almost done and the mushrooms have cooked down, add the veggies and meat to the risotto pot and stir it all together.


Stir in some of the grated asiago cheese. Season with salt and pepper and dish into bowls.

Top with more asiago cheese and eat!