November '21: Newsletter
Hello and Happy November!
Hope you had a nice past month. November in New England, where I live, is the time when fall finally starts settling in for good. The leaves become a gradient of gold, auburn, ochre, and red, the temperatures get consistently low, and the evenings become very dark, especially as we set the clocks back on the 7th. Our neighborhood is spotted with pumpkins and mums, and the chimneys start smoking on notably cold mornings. Our farmers market moves indoors. The produce at the market is still abundant, but by this time, it’s pretty much completely transitioned away from tomatoes and cucumbers to huge piles of winter squash, root vegetables, dark leafy greens, apples, and pears. It’s all very beautiful.
I’m more of a warm weather person, but I’ve been committed to making the most of every season for a few years now. Truly, this small commitment has made a huge difference in my general quality of life. Instead of bundling up in blankets and hiding in the warmth of home all fall and winter, I make a point of getting outside into the elements. It’s amazing how even a short, brisk walk in the cold can offer an entire reset to your mood and general outlook on life. Other ways that I connect to the colder seasons include fall activities like apple picking, making my home extra cozy with candles, warm blankets on the couch, soft slippers and sweatsuit sets for wearing around, always having a good book to read, revisiting classic fall movies, buying a new sweater, and, of course, cooking with warming, seasonal foods, which is what this month’s class is all about.
This month’s recipes are very distinctly fall as well. We’ve got butternut squash fritters and a cheesy Brussels sprout bake, which could be good contenders for the holiday table. There’s a chickpea noodle soup, because fall wouldn’t be fall without the pleasure of a big pot of soup on the stove, as well as golden coconut tempeh, a recipe I’m very excited about because it’s so different from the traditional treatment of tempeh.
I made you a Playlist!
I’ve been slowly assembling this playlist for at least a year now. It’s perfect for a cozy afternoon in the kitchen, while cooking all your favorite autumn recipes, and daydreaming.
Seasonal Pleasures
⁕ Two words: honeycrisp apples! These are by far my favorite kind of apple. I love their perfect balance of sweet and tart, and the fact that the skin is thin and not too chewy. I have them for breakfast pretty much every single day in the fall.
⁕ One of my favorite, simple ways to prepare varieties of winter squash with edible, thin skin like kabocha and kuri is to make simmered squash. This Japanese method involves cooking squash in a flavorful mixture of water, sake or mirin, tamari or soy sauce, sugar and salt. It’s such a nice change from roasting and steaming. Here is a good recipe.
⁕ I’m planning to make our Peanut Butter & Pumpkin Caramel Bars in the next few days, and I’m so excited for this distinctly fall treat. (They’re gluten-free!)
⁕ U.S. friends, if you’re looking to try out some new, plant-based recipes for Thanksgiving this year, a reminder that cooking circle members get 20% off our holiday ebook (and all ebooks) by using the code CIRCLE at checkout.
⁕ Jung Maven’s cotton hemp long sleeve Ts are all I want to wear as a base layer this fall. The quality of the fabric is so solid, they come in tons of great colors, and are unisex.
⁕ A documentary that I love to revisit in the fall is Rivers and Tides: Andy Goldsworthy Working with Time. So much inspiration to be had there. I’m also impatiently waiting for the new Beatles documentary to be released on the 25th!
Wishing you a beautiful November! Stay cozy :)
