I’m thrilled to be contributing my Vegan Shepherd’s Pie recipe to Eating Rules‘ “October: Unprocessed“. Blogger and healthy eating advocate Andrew Wilder has asked people to take a pledge to eat no processed foods during the month of October, and hundreds of people have jumped on board. For my October: Unprocessed guest post, I wanted to feature comfort food, and Shepherd’s Pie fits the bill. This is a recipe I perfected over years, made with mushrooms, seitan, lots of vegetables and walnuts with a rich wine-infused gravy, topped by mashed potatoes. What more could you want in a comfort food?

You can see my Shepherd’s Pie above, but for the recipe just click on over to Eating Rules. And while you’re there, sign the pledge and go Unprocessed for the rest of the month – or every month. I’ve found it really interesting to start thinking in detail about how the food you’re eating is made. When you break down every ingredient and where it comes from, you’ll be surprised by what you find. And it will make you enjoy eating natural, wholesome foods even more.

Whenever I make homemade applesauce, I wonder why I don’t do it more often. It’s so easy, and so much better than anything you can buy. Here I’ve used cider and a bit of maple syrup for a touch of sweetness – but if you are using sweet apples, you might want to leave out the maple syrup.

A food mill is the perfect tool for making applesauce (and tomato sauce in the summer!) But if you don’t have one, just peel the apples before cooking, then mash them to your desired consistency. You won’t get the nice rosy color without the peels, but it will still be delicious.

Applesauce

5 pounds apples, cored and cut into chunks (unpeeled if using a food mill)
1 cup apple cider
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 cinnamon sticks
4 whole cloves
3 or 4 long slices of lemon zest
Pinch salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch freshly ground nutmeg

Put apples, cider, maple syrup, cinnamon sticks, cloves, lemon zest and salt in a large pot and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until apples break down, about 15 or 20 minutes. Remove cinnamon and cloves. Put through a food mill fitted with a medium disk. Add ground cinnamon and nutmeg to taste. Serve warm or cold.

Serves 8-10

This week’s roundup of the very best heart-healthy recipes from my fellow bloggers focuses on fresh figs.  Get ‘em while they’re in season!

This Fig Salad with Walnuts and Mint from Cook and Be Merry is simple and gorgeous.

Fresh Fig and Port Sorbet?  This recipe from Eating Out Loud has me drooling. I’m pulling out the ice cream maker!

This yummy Fresh Fig and Banana Milkshake from Pinch My Salt takes just a couple minutes to make. I’d just recommend substituting lower fat milk – or even almond milk – for the whole milk.

Fun Fig Fact, from the aforementioned Cook and Be Merry:

Although commonly referred to as a fruit, the fig fruit is actually the flower of the tree, known as inflorescence, in which the flowers and seeds grow together to form a single mass. The flower is not visible, as it blooms inside the fruit. The small orifice (ostiole) visible on the end of the fruit is a narrow passage,  which allows a specialized wasp, the fig wasp, to enter the fruit and pollinate the flower, after which the fruit grows seeds inside.

My garden is overrun with butternut squash! Certainly not a bad problem to have, especially because I also have celery root, and together these two vegetables make a stunningly good soup.

Many butternut squash soups are cloying, so I like adding a savory element. Celery root may be an ugly vegetable, but it sure works beautifully here.

Adding a topping to the soup can also add layers of flavor and texture, and I have three different suggestions:

– Sautéed oyster and shiitake mushrooms

– Whole wheat croutons, made by quickly sautéing bread cubes in olive oil

– Fig balsamic vinegar – a few drops or a little swirl will do the trick

And of course, if you’re a purist, the soup is also quite lovely in its unadorned state.

This is an exceptionally healthy soup. Butternut squash, with its vibrant orange hue, is a rich source of carotenoids – pigments with heart disease prevention power – as well as fiber and vitamins A and C.  But most of all, it’s delicious.

Butternut Squash and Celery Root Soup

1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about 6 cups)

1 celery root, peeled and cubed (about 3 cups

2-3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 large onion, chopped

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

4 or 5 fresh sage leaves

1 cup dry white wine

7 cups vegetable stock (use gluten-free stock if you are gluten-sensitive)

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the squash and celery root  with a tablespoon or two of olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet (or two). Roast until tender and starting to brown, about 25 minutes.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a large saucepan or dutch oven. Saute onions, red pepper flakes and sage until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half. Add the stock and roasted vegetables and simmer for 10 minutes. Let cool slightly and puree thoroughly in a food processor or blender. Season to taste with pepper, and additional salt if necessary.   Return to the pot to reheat, and serve.

The minute the leaves start changing, I just have to make apple crisp. It’s like the official announcement of autumn. I also love experimenting with different types of apples. This time I used a mixture of incredible heirloom apple varieties from Montgomery Orchards, including Cox’s Orange Pippin, Pink Pearl and Swiss Gourmet.

My crisp topping, of course, doesn’t include butter – it’s made with organic canola oil. I also sometimes use macadamia nut oil, which is one of the heart-healthiest oils available. Some lowfat crisp toppings aren’t actually crispy, but I’ve figured out a solution: if you add a little water to the mixture just before cooking, it creates a crunchier texture. This time, I also took a leap and tried using steel cut oats instead of rolled oats. My friend Renee really loved the crunch factor, and I happily devoured it, too. But I still think regular oats make for a more comforting dessert – so while the photo shows the steel cut version, I’ve provided my “usual” recipe which always draws raves. So put on a sweater and get baking – fall is here!

Apple Crisp

2 ½ pounds apples (about 7), peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Small pinch cloves
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2/3 cup rolled oats (old fashioned, not quick cooking)
2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2/3 cup light brown sugar
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup organic canola oil
2 tablespoons water

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the apples with the next seven ingredients (through lemon juice).

In a separate bowl, mix the oats, flour, brown sugar walnuts, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Drizzle the organic canola oil over the dry mixture and combine with your fingers until crumbly. Add the water and stir briefly with a fork.

Put the apple mixture in an 8×8” baking dish, then sprinkle on the crumbly topping. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the top is golden and the apples are tender.

Brilliant ruby red and deeply flavored, these pickled beets will make your fall salads a lot more exciting – if you can resist eating them straight from the jar. Don’t worry about the amount of sugar called for here – it’s actually less than a lot of recipes call for, and you’re not drinking the liquid (well maybe you are, but that’s your little secret!)

They’re particularly great in an arugula salads and grain salads (barley, farro, quinoa). For a shocking pink presentation, stir pickled beets into yogurt. Give it a Mediterranean twist by adding garlic and olive oil. Or add some cumin, cilantro and a chopped serrano pepper and you’ve got beet raita like I served with last weekend’s Indian dinner.

These pickled beets will keep about a month in the refrigerator, but eat them within a week because they get very overpickled!

Pickled beets

3 pounds medium beets, greens removed (leave a half inch of stem)
2 teaspoon whole allspice
1 teaspoon whole cloves
2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
A few sprigs of fresh thyme
6 bay leaves
1 large onion, thinly sliced

Put the beets in a saucepan, cover with water and boil for about 25-30 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain, rinse in cold water, peel and cut into chunks.

Bring the remaining ingredients – except the onion – to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Layer the beets and onions into four pint (or two quart) jars, and pour the liquid over. Let cool before covering the jars. Refrigerate for two days before eating.