
Oh fall, you're back and I am happy for your abundant return.
I think, if nothing else, fall is a celebration of variety. Lots of tonal, saturated colors abound. Many different textures and tastes are available naturally. Bitter and savory mix with natural-sweet [think root vegetables] + spicy. Said spice[s] compliment the crunchiest of apples and the succulent-est (uh...) of squash. I could go on; I will spare you.
Though fall clearly strikes many-a-fancy; there is something a bit sad about the carefree, long, slow summer nights escaping away. Enter :: traditional summer dishes re-imagined with fall-like flavors...
In no particular order- beet apple salsa + curry-pumpkin hummus. Served in tandem to kick the autumnal color-qualities up a notch with an edible dipping mechanism[s] of ones' choosing. Tending towards temperature contrasts, I made homemade [read: slightly crunchy but mostly warm] spelt tortilla chips topped with black sea salt. Natural charcoal on the salt is detoxifying- and also, contrast is pretty. Truly- this duo, separate or together, would be good on many-an item...from a grilled veggie to a rice cracker to within a wrap or atop salad. Dips are sort of awesome that way- they keep for a while and are endlessly malleable to form, or supplement, other dishes at a later date.
Let's start, in a scholarly-alphabetical fashion, with the farmers-market-procured:
Beet Apple Salsa
[makes about 2 c; double/triple to your hearts content].

4-6 medium to large beets
1 gala apple
1/2 red onion
2 fresh cayenne peppers (or 1 jalapeƱo)
1 clove of garlic
2 TB cold pressed olive oil
2 TB red wine vinegar
1 TB fresh lemon juice
sea salt + freshly ground pepper to taste
1 gala apple
1/2 red onion
2 fresh cayenne peppers (or 1 jalapeƱo)
1 clove of garlic
2 TB cold pressed olive oil
2 TB red wine vinegar
1 TB fresh lemon juice
sea salt + freshly ground pepper to taste
Peel and steam the beets. Beets are lovely roasted- but steaming keeps a bit more of the crunch. Next, dice the apple, onion and said (now cooled) beets. Mince the garlic and add, then the cayennes after de-ribbing and de-seeding them [unless you are a badass]. Combine with all other ingredients.
Curry-Pumpkin Hummus
[makes about 4 cups as such]

Combine all in a food processor. Add more olive oil if need-be.
Either recipe is easily doctored and is notably subjective. Consistencies and 'hotness' can be altered to one's liking. The only requirement is both, respectively, must be placed in pretty little bowls.
Not too shabby, I would say. Thanks, Ashley! Job well done! All of those words and photos are property of Ashley North Compton, so show 'm some respect, eh?
If you are interested in writing up a guest post, send me an email and we'll work something out. If the rest are as good as this, I might have time to go on a nice vacation. If only I could afford to...maybe if I sold a kidney....
.