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Last weekend we decided to have a few of our friends over for appetizers and drinks to celebrate fall flavors and as a last little get together before the baby arrives…. Because who knows when we will be able to have people over again. The menu I had planned  included Skinny Pumpkin Dip with apples, Baked Brie with Pecans and Pears, a few other cheeses and grapes with gluten free crackers, butternut squash crostini (recipe coming soon) and sparkling cranberry apple cider.

I wanted to make a nonalcoholic drink that I could enjoy but of course also have the option of adding alcohol for everyone else…. So I decided to make an apple cider as a sort of “mixer” so everyone could add whatever alcohol they preferred to it. I also wanted to infuse a lot of fall flavors such as cinnamon and cranberries so I decided to cook some fruit with spices first then add it to the apple cider so the flavors could meld overnight. I didn’t want a warm apple cider because I live in south florida and it is not quite cool enough for that yet, but you can easily adapt the recipe to make it warm if that is what you prefer. Anyways, I topped my apple cider with soda water as I love a sparkling mocktail, and for the most part everyone else added a little bit of vodka and sparkling wine to their glasses, and seemed to enjoy it that way.

Sparkling Cranberry Apple Cider

Sparkling Cranberry Apple Cider

Ingredients
1-12 oz Bag Fresh Cranberries (about 3 cups)
1  Navel Orange – zested and cut into bite sized pieces
1 Pear- cored and cut into bite sized pieces
1 Apple – cored and cut into bite sized pieces
2 Cinnamon Sticks
1/2 Cup Water
1 Tablespoon Honey
1 Teaspoon All Spice
1 Gallon Apple Cider

Directions
Add cranberries, zest from orange, pieces of orange, Apple and pear along with cinnamon sticks, honey, all spice, and water to a medium saucepan.  Mix together and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for about 10 min or until cranberries break open and flavors meld. Turn off stove top and allow to cool. Once cool, add to apple cider in a punch bowl or large pitcher and put in the refrigerator overnight. When ready to serve, fill glass halfway with cider and then top with soda water or sparkling wine. If you like your drinks strong, add a little vodka or liquor of preference. Cheers!
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Sweet potatoes are a great fall favorite. Delicious and full of vitamins and minerals, they can be used in many different ways. They make great side dishes (like my Scalloped Sweet Potato Casserole), can be incorporated into desserts, and can be a great addition to breakfast. The are full of Vitamin A, which gives them their orange color. Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin, meaning it is stored in the fat in your body. Adding a little fat such as olive oil or *gasp* butter, to your sweet potatoes will actually help your body to better absorb the Vitamin A. Sweet potatoes also contain quite a bit of potassium, which can be helpful with controlling blood pressure.

I have been wanting to try and make a frittata since this summer when I first attempted to make one. It was a zucchini and yellow squash frittata that got overcooked and I ended up having to scrape off the bottom layer because it was all burnt. Apparently it was still decent though because my husband managed to eat it…. Although he may have just eaten it so I wouldn’t feel bad that I ruined dinner. This time I wanted to try using fall flavors so I got sweet potatoes, a bunch of kale, onions and goat cheese to give it a more hearty autumn feel. I was more careful with the cooking time and my sweet potato and kale frittata turned out perfect.

A Healthy and Delicious Fritatta

Sweet Potato and Kale Frittata

Ingredients
4 Large Eggs
1/4 Cup Skim Milk
1/4 Cup Crumbled Goat Cheese
Pinch of Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Rosemary
1 Teaspoon Olive Oil
1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/3 Cup Diced Raw Red Onion
1 Cup Cooked and Diced Sweet Potatoes*
3 Cups Raw Kale

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix eggs, milk and cheese together in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in rosemary and salt, set aside. Add olive oil to an 8 inch skillet on medium heat.  Add garlic and onions and sauté until almost translucent. Turn down to med low. Add kale and stir to ensure kale cooks down evenly. After kale shrinks and becomes wilted, add in sweet potatoes and distribute evenly. Pour egg mixture into pan with veggies and stir until uniform. Remove pan from heat and bake in oven on 400 degrees for 20 min or until edges appear slightly browned and frittata is firm.

*I just popped a sweet potato in the microwave for a few min after poking some holes in it and then chopped it up after it cooled down

Sweet Potato and Kale Frittata

Want more easy egg based dishes?

Try my Crustless Quiche with Potatoes and Spinach.

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