Two weeks ago, my body told me to sloooooow doooooown. Which was fitting, because it came a couple days before the Fall Equinox - the body knows! I love to celebrate and honor the change in season because it makes me feel in tune with the cycles of nature, and offers a chance to bring forth new intentions, and shift focus. I was flipping through my treasured copy of The Political Palate: A Feminist Vegetarian Cookbook by the Bloodroot Collective (Selma Miriam, Betsey Beaven, Noel Giordano, and Pat Shea), and they put it beautifully:
Part of the necessity of survival is the need to reclaim the natural time-marked events of the earth. As the water in our women’s bodies subtly responds to the daily changing high and low tides of the moon, so indeed some part of our spirits respond to the larger changes the seasons bring us. By observing the seasons [...] and cross quarter days, women can begin to claim their own sense of birth and death. In our need to reevaluate what food to eat or medicine to use, even to learn women’s ways of loving, we can consciously try to realign ourselves with the earth’s cycles. In this way, we may be able to discover the justice that exists in the real world of nature.
Fall Equinox brings us to the fullness of the harvest which is at one with the culmination of life cycles. To the extent that we can live fulfilling lives, women are reminded that we need to take death and dying into our hands - that life at any cost is as senseless an act against our natures as any other victimization we might experience…
Damn lol..Naturally, I’ve been thinking about this death - of summer, of my 20s, and a former version of self that I’ve been shedding - it’s sad, but also something to celebrate, because it means restoration and cultivation through the deep winter for something new to break ground in spring. This is how we live a sustainable life - we must adapt to what the earth is telling us. If we push through and keep the summer energy going all year round we burn out, we get sick, and we feel depleated. Fall is the time to recalibrate, reflect on the year so far, take stock of our accomplishments, take note of where we want to go next, alter our attention, and prepare for a type of hibernation.
For me, the first two weeks of fall have been spent cleaning and organizing my pantry and closets, sleeping early, re-committing to my yoga practice and doing a lot of cooking! My ~culinary practice~ makes me feel rooted and to get back into habit I’ve been leaning into my cookbooks, being resourceful with food (for instance, making stocks, salads, and soups with scraps of literally anything) and as always, incorporating seasonal produce into my diet.
WHAT’S ON THE MENU:
Fave Fall Salad - Has it’s name for a reason! I love Dan Pelosi’s content - it’s all food love, joy, pasta and kind of infectious? I respect that he will never skimp on the cheese, and that he cooks from his memory and heart.
Bliss Bites - I’m getting back into the habit of making a big batch of these every couple weeks for that 3pm slump which I am *feeling* being back at the office more frequently. This is a great recipe formulated by Dr. Aviva Romm, it’s the most nuanced in flavour, and nutritionally sound version of energy balls that I’ve found. My personal tweaks include: subbing ½ a cup of walnuts for pumpkin seeds, using tahini instead of almond butter, and grating the orange zest directly into the mixture.
Broccoli Cheddar Soup - When you need something from the kids menu - I made this on a rainy Sunday and it was cozy.
A Modern Cook’s Year by Anna Jones - A beautiful vegetarian book that I come back to again and again. I’m a sucker for any cookbook that is organized seasonally, but what I love must is how Jones brings creative nonchalance to every dish. I’ve been loving the Daal Baked Eggs for a quick weeknight meal after coming home from the office; the Walnut, Leek, and Chard Crostada has got me flexing my pastry muscle; and Figs, Pistachios and Labneh is a low effort high reward brunch dish.
Apple Cinnamon Oats
When I first made this dish I was instantly brought back to my grandmother’s kitchen table, where every other week I ate quaker instant oats before church while watching teletoon on her mini tv. It’s incredibly comforting and indulgent minus all of the yucky additives and preservatives in the packaged kind. Health points come from starting your day with warm, mucus forming foods that are white; from a TCM perspective this helps to foster the yin element of fall, and white foods like oats are said to support the lungs, which is one of the organs associated with fall. Apples are seasonal of course, but also contain pectin which is a beneficial fiber for gut health, and is more bioavailable when the apples are cooked. Finally, the addition of cardamom and cinnamon are warming spices that help us to warm from the inside during Vata season in Ayurveda who’s qualities are windy, dry and cold. The key to making this copy cat dish is seasoning the oats with salt while cooking and then finishing it with flaky salt. I have been eating this just about everyday since the 22nd and I know you will too!
⅓ cup gluten free oats
⅔ cups water
½ apple chopped
1 scoop collagen
½ tsp cardamom
½ tsp cinamon
Hemp seeds
Bee pollen
Maple syrup
Salt
Bring together the oats, water, and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium. Once cooked (3ish minutes) add in the collagen and stir until its incorporated, then add in the apple and spices. Cook on low for 1-2 minutes to heat up the apples. Then, transfer to a bowl and top with the seeds, and pollen; drizzle with the syrup and finish with flaky salt.