Autumn Waldorf Chicken Salad (AKA “Falldorf” Chicken Salad)
Excuse me, but I have a bone to pick with time. It’s moving too fast.
After over eighteen months of this global panini, it suddenly feels like the world is holding down the accelerator to get back to “normal” while still figuring out how to drive. Meanwhile, I’m the dad in the passenger seat slamming on imaginary brakes.
I want to get back to living a normal life just as much as the next person, but a tiny part of me doesn’t feel ready. First of all, if I’m being *real* honest and vulnerable, I’m still getting over the heartbreak of watching live music vanish in front of my eyes last March. On the other hand, despite the sadness, I enjoyed being forced to slow down. I have loved not having to live out of a suitcase, getting to actually have weekends, and suddenly having all the time in the world to plan and cook delicious meals. Also, I’ve finally gotten to pursue my dream of turning this blog into a business. NBFD!!!!!
I’m truly not complaining (I’m grateful to have stuff going on), but when your personal and professional schedules suddenly go from zero to sixty, it can be a little scary. But, since there’s not much I can do to slow this transition (it was going to happen eventually!) all I can do is control how I respond.
Naturally, I am responding with food.
Heirloom Tomato & Fig Salad
The end of summer is upon us, and it’s bittersweet. Now that Labor Day Weekend has passed, many of us are resuming regular work or school hours, putting our beach supplies back in storage, and saying goodbye to cookouts and rooftop bars. But even if you do work normal hours all throughout the summer, there’s something about that post-Labor Day feeling (i.e. today, right this very second) that’s just kind of a bummer. But it doesn’t have to be.
I LOVE this time of year. It marks a transition from not liking how my violin strings sound 75% of the time (#gutstrings #humidity) to thinking they sound pretty okay 75% of the time. It means that soon, I can stop worrying about maintaining a pedicure and get my cute boots on until at least March or April. And soon, I can go apple picking and make ALL THE PIES!! But for now, it’s still technically summer for another month, and all of the perks that come with crisp, cool weather aren’t here yet. So how can one really make the most out of this weird, transitional SummerFall? Two words: fresh produce.
One-Pot Spicy Cajun Chicken Sausage Pasta
I try to live by the simple rules in life. You know, like, always treat others the way you would want to be treated. Always start the day with breakfast. And NEVER go into Trader Joe’s without a plan.
Raise your hand if this has ever been you at TJ’s:
“Well, my cart is at least 85% vegetables, so I guess one box of dark chocolate peanut butter cups won’t hurt. Or 4…”
“FALAFEL SPICED VEGAN CAULIFLOWER GNOCCHI DUMPLING NUGGETS?!? Where have these BEEN all my life?!”
“I don’t know what a ‘Quartet of Snacks’ is supposed to be, but it’s going in the cart.” *SIDENOTE: filing away under ‘genius string quartet names’*
But rules are made to be broken after all, which is why I have more hummuses in my fridge than I can possibly finish, and also why this recipe exists.
Turkey Sausage and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers with an Avocado “Cream”
This is one of my favorite recipes to date for a few reasons. First of all, it’s really good. Like, SERIOUSLY good. Second of all, it WON me a recipe contest on one of my favorite Instagrams/blogs, Spoonful of Fit! As a result, I got hundreds of new followers on my dinky little Instagram, which now has almost 500 followers. That may not seem like a lot to someone who’s “Internet famous,” but to a random girl taking pictures of her lunch on her iPhone hoping to get recognized, that’s a sizeable step in the right direction!
When I made these, I was looking for a way to jazz up my meal prep for the week and do something special by entering the recipe contest, but I tried to keep it as simple as possible.
Turkey Sausage and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers with an Avocado “Cream” (Makes 6-8 servings)
- 1 cup plain, uncooked quinoa
- 2 cups vegetable stock (no salt added)
- 1 tsp olive or coconut oil
- 5 cloves minced garlic
- 5 links lean turkey sausage
- 2 cups spinach
- 3-4 medium-large bell peppers
- 1 avocado
- 1 container plain, fat free Greek Yogurt
- Garlic powder
Bring quinoa and veggie stock to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce to simmer and add 2 cloves of minced garlic when the broth is about halfway absorbed. Once the liquid is mostly absorbed, reduce heat all the way. In a separate pan, cook the turkey sausage (just the meat, no skins) on medium heat with 3 cloves minced garlic in a teeny bit of olive or coconut oil to keep the garlic from burning. Season with whatever you like, I used black pepper, a pinch of thyme, and Trader Joe’s South African Smoke Seasoning. Once the sausage is mostly cooked through, add the spinach until it wilts. Drain the fat and liquid, and add the sausage mixture to the quinoa. Stir, and let sit for a few minutes.
Cut each pepper in half lengthwise and remove the seeds/stem/ribs. Fill each half with the mixture and bake at 375˚ for about 25-30 minutes.
To make the avocado cream, mash the avocado and yogurt and add garlic powder to taste.
BUT WAIT!
TIP: You can make this recipe Paleo and barely notice the difference!
The Paleo Version
How? Replace the quinoa with 2 cups riced cauliflower (raw, do not add extra liquid). Add extra seasoning if you’d like to make up for the flavor from not having veggie stock, and/or use a pre-seasoned sausage (I used a tomato basil variety for this version) for more flavor. Cut out the yogurt from the avocado cream and just use mashed avo and garlic powder! And if you’re vegan, replace the sausage with your favorite meat substitute, seasoned tofu, or some roasted veggies, and use almond milk or soy yogurt!
Lazy Sunday, making the Paleo peppers in a pretty fierce onesie!
You should definitely go make this recipe as soon as you can. And if you don’t want to take my word for it, ask the people on Instagram who have already tried it and loved it 😉
Spicy Mango Sesame Noodles
If you’re like me, your favorite part of getting Chinese food is the Sesame noodles. Cold or hot, there is just something so appealing about a giant bowl of carbs slathered in a crunchy peanut sauce. Unfortunately, those aren’t good for you. Fortunately, I’ve come up with what I think is a pretty darn good replacement!
If you’ve never tried Shirataki noodles, they’re AMAZING! They range from 0-30 calories per bag, and they fill you up! If your grocery store carries them, you can find them in the tofu section, but the ones I used for this recipe are the regular Shirataki noodles which are made from yam flour. The noodles come in a variety of shapes (even macaroni), and while I won’t lie to you and tell you that it’s the same texture as regular pasta, I’m also serious that this is the best pasta replacement ever.
Spicy Mango Sesame Noodles (Generously serves 1 – Double or triple recipe to use as a side dish):
- 1 bag 0-calorie shirataki noodles
- 1/4 mango, sliced into thin strips
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 tbs. crunchy peanut butter (I used Earth Balance coconut peanut butter)
- 1 tsp The Heat is On peanut butter by Peanut Butter and Co. (or sriracha to taste)
- 1 tbs. Bragg’s liquid aminos or soy sauce
- Sesame seeds (you can choose to toast them if you wish)
Rinse, drain, and dry noodles according to package. Place noodles in a nonstick pan with garlic. Add remaining ingredients once pan is heated and stir in pan until combined. Garnish with sesame seeds.
