Seasonal cooking: two recipes for autumnal days

A trend that has been growing in popularity or another way to approach cooking is seasonal cooking, which basically consists of cooking with fruits and vegetables according to their natural growing season.

There is a logic behind seasonal cooking as well as plenty of advantages for our health and the environment. One of the main advantages is that the nutritional value of the food is higher, since it is consumed closer to the time of harvest. Also, seasonal food supports your body needs, as an example: summer fruits help protect against sun damage as they are packed with carotenoids. And hey, let’s not forget about the flavour! Since this food is naturally in season, they are full of flavour and will enhance whatever meal you prepare.

Foodie and seasonal recipe influencer Chloé Sucrée from Being Biotiful, claims: “Eating seasonal products is not only good for the planet but also our health. Ingredients taste real, we feed our body with what we need, and it is so much cheaper. It Is worthy waiting one year to eat a good tomato.”

Eating in season is eating with coherence, mainly for our body. How? It’s really easy. “For example, during Summer, it is logical to eat watermelon, cucumber, and tomatoes, this kind of food that hydrates even though there are high temperatures. During Winter, beet, pumpkins, or sweet potatoes are more appealing to us, as they contribute to adding more carbohydrates to fight against the cold”, shares Chloé. Autumn is the time to get ready for the Winter season, eating nutritious food that will give us energy and boost our immune system.

To get you inspired and cooking seasonally, we are sharing a couple of Chloé’s favorite autumnal recipes. With a huge range of seasonal fruits and vegetables like sweet potato, pumpkins, figs, apple, pear, broccoli, or beet, it is super easy to get creative in the kitchen. Don’t worry if you are an amateur chef, these recipes are also for you. Let’s cook!



Fall Vichyssoise with Sauteed Tofu, tomato and kale

2 tablespoons of coconut oil
3 medium leeks, cleaned and halved lengthwise, and sliced
2 teaspoons of turmeric powder
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
Pinch of salt
3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 apple, diced
1/2 fennel cut into chunks
2 medium sweet potatoes, diced
4 cups / 1-liter of vegetable broth
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup / 125 ml. oatmeal cream

Toppings
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 handful of cherry tomatoes cut into two
Pinch of salt
1 package of smoked tofu cut into small cubes
1 little dried thyme or oregano
About 3 kale leaves, chopped

Leeks are the key element in this recipe. Once cleaned and sliced, mix them in a saucepan over medium heat with the chopped ginger, turmeric powder, and salt. Let them brown and then add the chopped garlic cloves. After 3 minutes on the fire, add the apple, fennel, and sweet potato slices, and finally, add the vegetable broth.

Once it starts to boil, lower the heat, cover it, and cook for 15-20 minutes. Add the oat milk and blend it until it is creamy. Toppings are the easiest to prepare! Brown the onion for a few minutes with 1 tablespoon of olive oil until it is translucent. Add 1 pinch of salt, tomatoes and brown for about 4 minutes. Add the tofu and thyme. Cook for about 8 minutes until the tofu is golden. To finish off, add the chopped kale and cook for about 3-4 more minutes. And voila! Lunch (or dinner) time.



Cardamom porridge with fig compote and tahini yogurt

For the compote
20 figs, peeled
1 pinch of salt
2 tablespoons of water
1/2 teaspoon of cardamom powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon maple syrup (totally optional)

For the oatmeal
1 cup / 100g rolled oats (* certified gluten-free if necessary)
2 cups / 500 ml of water
1 cup / 250 ml oat milk
1 pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon of cardamom powder (I grind 4-5 cardamom seeds in a mortar and do it in porridge, so it's super fresh)

Tahini yogurt
1/2 cup / 125 ml unsweetened Greek yogurt.
2 tablespoons white tahini
1 teaspoon maple syrup (optional)

Porridge is the star recipe to celebrate the beginning of Autumn. To make it even more autumnal, Chloé includes a homemade fig compote, one of the season’s most famous fruits. But don’t worry, it is easier than it seems. Peel the figs and cut them into 4 slides. Introduce them in a pot with salt, water, cardamom, vanilla, lemon juice, and maple syrup. Mix and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook for 15-20 minutes until the figs have melted and the compote has thickened. Taste and rectify to your liking. Store it in a jar while you prepare the porridge.

Now, it's time to make the porridge. To do it, you will need a pot to mix the rolled oats, water, milk, salt, and cardamom. Stir with a wooden spatula and cook for about 5 minutes until the oats have thickened. In a small bowl, mix the tahini with the Greek yogurt, maple syrup if you like the sugary touch, and put the fig jam at the top. Can you think of a more appetizing breakfast?