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    7 Simple Meals for Fall

    I can’t believe November is around the corner which means the holidays are almost upon us. It also means cooler temperatures for many and the urge to dive into hearty meals. Today, I’m sharing a few recipes that are perfect to warm you through for your mid week meals or cool you off if you need something refreshing to drink. These recipes are easy to prepare and cooks in around 30 minutes, except for the vegan cinnamon rolls which is totally worth the effort!

    The meals are a mix of vegan and non-vegan meals. and I can only hope you enjoy these simple recipes as much as I do.

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    Meals

    • Vegan Tofu with Noodles

    What can i say? I am addicted to tofu and this recipe is quick and delicious. All you need are a handful of spices, noodles, kelp noodles, cilantro, and tofu! 

    Dice 1 pack tofu and sauté with salt, black pepper, a dash of cayenne and paprika, and turmeric. Sauté until skin is browned and crispy. In a pot, bring water to a boil, add noodles of choice. Once cooked, serve in a bowl, top with a light tahini sauce, tofu, and cilantro. To add kelp to this menu, soak the kelp noodles in warm water for 5 mins. Drain the kelp noodles and add to the bowl. Here is a quick 1 minute video on how I made this.

    • Broiled Salmon

    This recipe for broiled salmon is fresh salmon fillets coated in olive oil, lemon, garlic and herbs, then broiled until browned. I serve salmon to my family at least once every other week. It is quick to make, loaded with nutrition and tastes great. 

    How do you make broiled salmon? Preheat the broiler. Whisk together 4 tablespoon olive oil, 1-2 full lemons squeezed (use the zest to top on the lemon), 2 teaspoons dill, 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, 2 teaspoons fresh parsley or cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Place 4 salmon fillet on a prepared sheet pan. Pour the mixture over the salmon and add 1 thinly sliced vegan butter on top of each salmon. Broil for 10-15 minutes or until salmon is browned and opaque. Usually at the last 3-5 minutes, I will change the setting to “roast” to slightly toast the skin.  Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with rice and vegetable of choice.

    • Cucumber Salad

    Yes, I threw a simple salad into the mix. It’s fairly simple. All you’ll need is 1 cucumber chopped in cubes (you can also remove the seeds before chopping. I tend to make the extra effort to remove this for my kids – you will need to peel the cucumber skin, cut it in half and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds, rinse, then chop the cucumber), 1 tomato sliced with seeds removed, 1-2 spring onions sliced, kale and lettuce, 1/2 red onions sliced, a handful of olives. Serve with choice of dressing.

    Drinks

    • Pomegranate JuicePomegranate juice is a Holiday favorite. This fruit pops up in stores around the holiday season and there’s nothing more beautiful than the bright fuchsia liquid that comes from making a drink. This fruit is also full of vitamins and nutrients and is a good source of vitamin E and K, folate, and potassium.

    You will need 2 cups pomegranate seeds, 1 lemon, 1 cup still water or sparkling water. Optional: 1 tsp agave (to sweeten), 1 tsp fresh grounded ginger. If you’re using a juicer, add 2 cups of pomegranate with a little water, lemon and ginger slices to the mix. Once it’s done, add your water and sweetener of choice. For a blender, pulse the pomegranate seeds with the sliced lemon and ginger for 7-10 seconds. Sieve and add water and sweetener of choice.

    • Hibiscus Ginger Tea

    This is a recipe my mom used to make when I was growing up and I remember drinking it warm and cold. It’s the perfect drink for both warm and cold months and I especially love festive rich color of the tea. I like to think of it as an immune booster during the cold months. You can watch my how to make this recipe here 

    To make this, you’ll need dried hibiscus, 1 tablespoon diced ginger, 1 tablespoon grains of selim, 1 tablespoon cloves  – Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the ginger, grains of selim and cloves. Let it boil for 3-5 minutes then add a 1/2 cup of dried hibiscus. Let it boil under 5 minutes then turn off. Once cool, sieve and serve with sweetener of choice. I love mine without any sweetener.  

    Desserts

    • Homemade Pumpkin Pie

    Just in time for the holidays. I feel like nothing taste better than homemade pumpkin pie. I love making these starting in mid-October until the holidays. For my all-time Fall favorite homemade pumpkin pie recipe, click on this link.

    • Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

    Oh the world of cinnamon rolls love. I have made these multiple times each year and I feel like I continue to experiment and refine. These cinnamon rolls are for my vegan friends. I’ll be sharing a non-vegan cinnamon roll recipe in the coming weeks. The vegan cinnamon rolls are surprisingly soft, fluffy and not chewy. I like to think of them as somewhat healthy.

    You can find this delicious vegan cinnamon roll recipe on my blog post here

    HomeMade Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

    Y’all it’s been a while since I shared a recipe on my blog. So today, I am sharing one of my personal favorite homemade vegan cinnamon rolls recipe. I have refined this recipe over the years and love making this when the weather starts getting cooler. It really is the perfect dessert or breakfast for the upcoming Thanksgiving holidays, and for any occasion really. These cinnamon roles are vegan but they are surprisingly tasty, fluffy and a mouthful of deliciousness! For a non-vegan option, I have tried to include substitutes so that you can still make these rolls and enjoy them too! I love my cinnamon rolls warm and they are heavenly with a cup of coffee, tea, or something cold.

    INGREDIENTS

    Dough

    • 1 tbsp active active dry yeast
    • 1/2 cup warm water
    • 4 1/2 cup organic flour, more if needed
    • 1 cup organic unsweetened apple sauce
      • can substitute with 4 eggs
    • 1/4 cup raw organic cane sugar
    • 1 tsp pink Himalayan salt
    • 8 tbsp vegan butter
      • can substitute regular organic butter

    Dough Filling

    • 8 tbsp vegan butter, melted
    • 1/2 cup raw organic cane sugar
    • 1 1/4 tbsp ground cinnamon

    Vanilla Glaze

    • Homemade powdered sugar
      • 1 cup organic raw cane sugar mixed with
      • 2 tbsp arrow root powder
    • 2 tbsp vegan butter, melted
    • 2 tbsp oat milk
      • can substitute with whole milk
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

    Vanilla Orange Glaze (Option 2)

    • Homemade powdered sugar
    • 2 oz vegan cream cheese, room temperature
    • 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1/4 cup oat milk
    • 1 orange zest, grated

    Recipe Directions

    This recipe takes patience and time but is so worth it! To make the dough, in a bowl, sprinkle the active dry yeast over the warm water. Allow this to bloom for about 5 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Add 1/4 cup of the flour into this mixture and cover with a plastic wrap and let stand in a warm spot for an additional 25-30 minutes.

    After this time, in a bowl of a stand mixer, add the yeast flour mixture along with the unsweetened apple sauce, organic raw cane sugar, salt, and the remaining 4 1/4 cups of the flour. Fit the mixture with the dough hook and knead on medium speed for 5 minutes until smooth. Now add the vegan butter and continue to knead for an additional 10 minutes. If consistency is sticky, add more flour until dough is smooth and doesn’t have the sticky consistency. Usually another 1/4 cup should do the trick. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and a kitchen napkin and let dough sit another 2 hours until the dough has risen and doubled. I wouldn’t recommend going over this time.

    Close to the 2 hour mark, butter a 9-by-13 inch baking dish. I used the Williams Sonoma brand linked. You can use any baking dish of your choosing. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and roll out into a 15-by-10 inch rectangle or as long as it’s not too thick. For the dough filling, brush the vegan melted butter on the rolled rectangle and sprinkle the raw cane sugar followed by the ground cinnamon. A short cut is to mix the dough filling together and spread on the dough, however this sometimes doesn’t work well. Roll the rectangle snugly and pinch the seam together so they don’t come apart. With the seam facing down, cut side up and place in the prepared dish. Brush the rolls with the remaining butter. Cover with a plastic wrap and let rise in the refrigerator overnight.

    The next morning, remove the rolls from the refrigerator and let it rise another 30 minutes until it’s risen again. Preheat oven to 350F. Bake the rolls covered about 30 minutes, remove covering and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the rolls look golden brown. Take out of the oven and let it cool in the baking dish pan another 15 minutes.

    Meantime while the rolls are cooling, make the vanilla glaze. In a small bowl, add all ingredients together until it forms a smooth paste. Pour then spread the glaze over the warm rolls. Serve immediately following. Makes 8-10 rolls. These are truly heavenly and perfect for the cooler weather and the holidays! If you make these, please tag me on Instagram @louise.millen or send me a note and let me know how they turned out.

    xo Louise

    @LOUISEMILLEN