Autumn Appetite

I love Autumn, and surprisingly I've loved these cold and rainy mornings lately, walking outside wrapped up all nice and warm in my hoody, and arriving home in the evenings to get snuggled up in a blanket with a book and a cup of something warm and comforting.

I've almost finished a book that since I picked up I haven't been able to put down: Eat, Pray, Love - by Elizabeth Gilbert, it's such an inspiring and beautiful read, and I find it warms me up inside when reading it alongside a nice treat..such as peanut butter on toast and tea..

I'm also loving this weather for it's beautiful morning skies, yesterday morning I woke up around 6:45 to find a silky purple shade awakening my eyes, I slowly rose out of bed and curled beside my bedroom window, wrapped in amber sheets, watching the rest of the sky unfold into the sun's morning kiss..bliss..

Later that day I was inspired to make something warm and hearty, the day before I bought a beaut of a cabbage, a leek, a sweet potato and a few carrots, all home grown veg from Sheffield (which were bought from Beanies Wholefoods.. http://www.beanieswholefoods.co.uk/ and New Roots Wholefoods in Broomhall) so I got set with heating them all up in a big pan to make a wholesome stew...

I added some lovely herbs too, mrs. sage and mr. thyme..who fit together wonderfully in this glorious mix up of veg..ooh and I also pooped in a pinch of nutty neighbour nutmeg..just for a bit of fun..and it worked a treat!

Perky Puffin thought so too, whilst also commenting on the glorious sunny sky, still shining through the kitchen window into early afternoon..

He also persuaded me to make some more hearty foods, so I got set to work with making use of the mixed beans I'd put out to soak over night, and magically turned them into a glorious dip..

along with..

2tbsp tahini

squirt of fresh lemon juice

sprinkle of salt

1 clove garlic

3 tbsp olive oil

a little water..blend them all up and serve...

..with a nice sprig of Basil for decoration..

I still had quite a few beans left over so I added them to the veg stew, and I saved the rest in a tub in the fridge (maybe for a scrummy chilli later on in the week).

Inspired to make some more foods, I got set to work on something sweet, and thought this would be a nice treat to take along to dinner at friends of New Roots tonight..along with the bean dip.

Earlier on in the week I was tempted by the idea of making a creation of a cake with apricots and cashews, thinking they would fit together nicely, so I browsed the internet for some ideas yesterday and came across this amazing recipe.. http://www.nutritionistinthekitch.com/2012/09/09/apricot-cashew-energy-bars/

I stuck to the same recipe but instead of hemp seeds I used sesame seeds, and I didn't use the coconut oil or the salt.

And they came out..perfect!..

wizz all ingredients up in blender..

...then squash down into baking pan and pop in freezer for 1 hour..then take out and cut into squares..

easy as that..no bake bars..easy peasy :)

Now, time for my lunch..

Happy Autumn

xx