The routine of the calendar cycle of school has not been part of my life for years, but as fall arrives and the pandemonium of summer comes to an end, I begin to take care of business and settle down.
I consider fall a sobering time in the food arena. Typically, we are eating more healthfully and we tend to be inside more. We are also more inclined to throw something in the oven. With my frugal mentality, if I am going to turn the oven on, I’m putting more than one thing in there–maybe a casserole and corn bread, baked fish and brownies. The advantage of cooking in the oven is you can walk away from it, unlike stove top cooking, where you have to be in front of it the whole time. With some planning, you can have the night’s meal in the oven and still help the kids with their homework.
There are ingredients that come to mind in any season and Fall’s most obvious are pumpkins and squash. I find that the pink, really fleshy pumpkins are so mild that you will never want to use anything else. The only time of the year to get these gems is now; so buy all you can, steam them up, and pop the pulp in the freezer. To get the best of the season’s gems, check out the small produce stands and farmer’s markets for local bounty that doesn’t make it to mainstream outlets.
We are pleased to introduce a new item to our Coleson’s Catch product line–Barramundi, an exquisitely delicate, flakey, white fish from Australia. We all have our favorite “safe” fish and we tend to be nervous about fish we have never tried. Any fish lover who has been in Australia will be thrilled to know a local favorite is now more widely available. Remember, none of us had even heard of Tilapia twenty years ago. Is Barramundi the next Tilapia, one of the most widely consumed fish worldwide? By the way, any preparation you enjoy with Tilapia would be suitable on Barramundi.
Okay, down to the nuts and bolts: since you are going to be cooking anyway, let’s take 10-15 minutes more time to save you at least an hour over the next few days. Begin by selecting three recipes with similar ingredients. The first three recipes (see links below) have similar ingredients, so the prep can be done on the first day; you can even assemble all three dishes.
Shared ingredients for these recipes are: Onions, garlic, potatoes, tomatoes, basil, celery, carrots, corn and penne. Cook enough penne pasta to have some left for the soup. Dice and sauté enough onion for all three. Dice and slice the potatoes for both soup and casserole. Then take some liberties–I like celery and carrots and want them in both the pasta and the soup, but you may opt not to include them.
Quick, Healthy and Easy Fall Recipes
Three Recipes with Similar Ingredients:
Penne With Scallops
Salmon and Mahi-Mahi Soup
Tilapia and Potato Bake
More Delicious Fall Recipes:
Butternut Squash Soup With Salmon
Pumpkin Stew With Mahi-Mahi
Sweet Potato Swordfish Bake
Seafood Saffron Rice Bake
Barramundi With Spinach and Lemon
Barramundi With Mushrooms and Capers
Tilapia With Artichoke Hearts and Olives
