Fall is honestly the best time of the year. It is my absolute favorite season. The weather is perfect; a little chilly but comfortable with a sweater.
All of my friends and family know that I am the pumpkin spice queen (like most of us fall lovers are)! From the pumpkin spice lattes, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, Larabars, Joe-Joe cookies, coconut milk creamer, tea, salsa (YES!), body lotion, to the dog treats. I. BUY. IT ALL. I can make a separate post on vegan pumpkin spice items if that is something you are interested in!
Aside from the overly aggressive pumpkin spice addiction I have, it is the little things that make the fall time special. Getting cozy under a fuzzy blanket while drinking hot tea and reading a book. Going to a bonfire with your friends and roasting marshmallows to make s’mores. Picking apples at an apple farm and making a warm apple pie. Carving pumpkins after spending hours at the pumpkin patch trying to find the perfect one. The list goes on and on!
The best part, by far, is the warm and satiating food you get to enjoy with your loved ones during this time of year. To jumpstart the bandwagon, I wanted to share a few of my favorite recipes that are PERFECT for the transition into fall:
- Spiked Apple Cider
- Paella
- Apple Cider Donuts
Hot spiked apple cider
Nothing screams cozy fall nights like a warm spiked apple cider! I went with this super simple recipe by Joyful Healthy Eats!
If you can’t find whole star anise, substitute with anise extract! I am not a fan of licorice so I literally just used a drop of extract for the full batch and could still taste it! The whole cloves and allspice berries can also be replaced with ground spices if that’s what you have on hand. I have provided the conversions below:
- 2.25 tsp of ground cloves in replace of 1 TBS of whole cloves
- 1 TBS of allspice in replace of 1 TBS of whole allspice
vegetable paella
Man oh man was this paella AH-MAZING. Molly Krebs, also known as “Spices in My DNA”, released a cookbook and the recipes have been a hit amongst me and my boyfriend. This paella was no exception.
Of course, we substituted the rice with cauliflower rice but that didn’t put a damper on the outcome! Aside from the rice substitution, we followed the recipe to a tee and it was flavorful, cozy and filling!
I highly recommend checking out “Eat More Plants” on Amazon because there are a ton of Fall recipes to be made! The next thing to make on my list is definitely the butternut squash ravioli (don’t be surprised if you see it featured in an upcoming post, hah)!
Apple cider donuts
The best was saved for last! Apple cider donuts. I was first introduced to these little bundles of joy years ago at a pumpkin patch. My family and I go to Linvilla Orchards in Pennsylvania every year. It’s a tradition! There is a pumpkin patch, apple slingshot, hayride, corn maze and so much more. If you live in the area, I highly recommend checking it out. It is the perfect place to take your children or loved ones.
Anyway, the baked goods sold at Linvilla are made with the fresh produce grown on the orchard. Apples obviously being one of them! So you can imagine how amazing the apple cider is. I would always get a hot apple cider and an apple cider donut.
Unfortunately, since going vegan, I haven’t been able to eat one of their donuts. Lo and behold, you can make them at home without compromising the taste! I used the recipe by Vegan Richa.
You guessed it. I replaced the sugar in this recipe with golden monkfruit. The first bite instantly brought back memories of going to the pumpkin patch with my family! Even my 2 year old nephew was a fan of these donuts.
Thank you for stopping by! Get ready for a lot more blog posts about fall! What is your favorite fall tradition? Let me know below!
