“It looked like the world was covered in a cobbler crust of brown sugar and cinnamon.”
-Sarah Addison Allen, First Frost

As much as the BF is a California Boy, the Oregon Girl in me loves autumn and the color orange. [Ed. note: Well too much orange reminds me of bad 1970s-era San Francisco Giants baseball.]

These golden babies are a marriage of crispy, sweet and slightly spicy flavors. Super healthy, and great for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a late-night snack.

Enjoy!

PS: Last year our beloved chocolate rescue lab Marlowe made her blogging debut with these tasty mini-butterscotch apples (www.moveablefeast.me/blog/mini-butterscotch-apples).

Adapted from: Eat Delicious, By Dennis The Prescott 
Number of servings: 3-4 side servings

Ingredients
Sweet Potatoes

• 2 pounds sweet potatoes (garnet yams used here), scrubbed and dried well
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

Curry Mayo Dip

• ¾ cup prepared mayo
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 ½ teaspoons mild yellow curry powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Pinch of sea salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 °F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
2. Halve potatoes lengthwise, then slice into thick cut wedges (about 8 total per potato).
3. Transfer wedges to large bowl, add remainder of sweet potato ingredients, and mix well.
4. Arrange the wedges in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake 40-45 minutes, turning halfway through, until cooked through on the inside and crispy/slightly charred on the outside.
5. Combine all the mayo dip ingredients in a small serving dish and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasonings, stir, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

We're getting deeper and deeper into October (don't know about you, but did this past week feel like a month or what?), which doesn't just bring us closer to my favorite holiday, Halloween, but all the signs are pointing to another very busy Thanksgiving-to-Christmas season. Meaning, with all of the impending insanity, it's always a good idea to have a few "make-ahead meals" on hand to save time on the off nights. Off nights that are better spent curled up with the BF watching a favorite show like Better Call Saul, or the World Series where his team the San Francisc—oh. Sorry. [Ed. note: Twist the knife, why don't you.]

This Moroccan stew is delicous the night it's made, and reheats well for lunches or make-ahead dinners, without losing any of its vibrant cumin, cinnamon and saffron flavors. Colorful and brothy, light and healthy, it's filling without being heavy. 

It's also vegetarian, but can easily be made vegan by replacing butter with olive oil and skipping the yogurt (see note).

Changes made to the original Smitten Kitchen recipe: substituted yams for the plain potatoes (I recommend the dark red Garnet yam variety), and left out the preserved lemon. 
​
The BF loves it over couscous, but I love it on its own. My dinner guests love all the toppings. A supremely versatile dish you can whip out while you prepare for the costumed kids soon to run amok. Amok! Amok! Amok!

Adapted from: Smitten Kitchen
Number of servings: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, small dice
• 4 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, large dice
• ¾ pound Garnet yam, peeled, large dice
• 2-3 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth (I like it brothy)
• 2 cups cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
• 2 pinches saffron threads (don't skip this!)
• 1 cup brined pitted green olives (recommend Cerignola)

Optional Sides & Toppings

• Steamed couscous or quinoa, for serving
• Fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped, for garnish
• Toasted slivered almonds, for garnish
• Plain yogurt, for garnish
• Hot sauce of your choice, for serving

Directions

1. Heat (medium heat) butter and olive oil in a 3-4 quart Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. When oil shimmers, add onion, garlic, cumin, and cinnamon. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until spices are aromatic and onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add squash and yams. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, stir to coat, and cook until just tender, about 3 minutes.
3. Add broth, chickpeas, tomatoes and their juices, and saffron. Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until squash is fork tender, about 10-15 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and stir in olives. Serve alone or over couscous, quinoa or rice. Garnish with cilantro, almonds, and yogurt if desired.

NOTE: To veganize this, replace the butter with additional olive oil, use vegetable broth and skip the yogurt.

PS: Sweet tooth? Did you miss a year ago when I whipped out the caramel apple cheesecake that destroyed the BF? [Ed. note: And no, she's not kidding.]​ (www.moveablefeast.me/blog/caramel-apple-cheesecake)

PPS:  Amok! Amok! Amok!

I'm writing this post on Halloween morning and it's the first cool day of fall (always pleased when it's sweater weather). Know you're seeing this the day after, and hope you had a fun evening with the trick or treaters.

Roasted yam wedges are common fare in our house, usually lightly slicked with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkled with salt, Aleppo pepper and coriander powder, and roasted until crispy like fries. Makes for a terrific side dish. Even "Supergirl" Marlowe (see pictures below) loves them.

However, this satisfying entree fits the bill for a meatless meal while having enough flavor, heft and protein to satisfy our carnivore tastes. It's also perfect for the cooler weather we have coming.

Servings: 2-3

Ingredients

• 2 large red-skinned orange-flesh Garnet yams

Crispy Tandoori Chickpeas

• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas
• 1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ¼  teaspoon curry
• ¾ teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika
• ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• Pinch or more cayenne pepper
• Kosher salt

Tahini Lime Sauce

• ½ cup Tahini
• ¼ cup warm water, or more if needed 
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
• Salt & pepper

Toppings

• 2-3 scallions, green and white parts, minced
• 2 tablespoons cilantro
• Toasted sesame seeds and black sesame seeds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 °F. Scrub yams and dry. Poke a few holes in yam with a fork. Place yams on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for approximately 40-60 minutes. Yams are done when knife penetrates easily. Keep warm and set aside. Keep oven on.
2. Rinse and drain chickpeas, then dry by rolling them around in a kitchen towel (very important that chickpeas are dry or they won't get crunchy). Combine the oil, curry, smoked paprika, cumin, turmeric, cayenne and salt in a large bowl. Add chickpeas and toss to coat evenly. Transfer chickpeas to a foil-lined baking sheet and spread out in a single layer. Bake until crispy, 25-35 minutes. For super crunchy chickpeas bake for 40 minutes. Shake tray every 10 minutes.
3. While chickpeas are baking, make the tahini sauce. Whisk tahini, ¼ cup warm water (or more if needed to make a drizzle sauce), 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, lime juice, grated garlic,  and salt and pepper (to taste) until well combined.
4. Cut yams in half. Spoon tandoori chickpeas over yam. Sprinkle with scallions, cilantro and sesame seeds. Drizzle with tahini sauce.