14 Ways to Cook With Fall Spices
Spice-alicious recipes for fall
One of the best parts about fall is that comforting, delicious aroma of spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger wafting from just about everything in the kitchen. But spices are so much more than just flavor enhancers. Ginger is warming and aids circulation, cinnamon helps regulate blood sugar, and nutmeg and cloves can help soothe an aching gut. Read on for simple, satisfying salads, entrees, and sweets you'll love, inside and out.
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Warm Pear with Cinnamon Ricotta
Zap a craving for something sweet and creamy with this no-sugar-added dish, perfect for dessert or even breakfast. Bonus: It's on the table in 15 minutes.
Ingredients: Pear, ricotta, cinnamon
Calories: 170
Try this recipe: Warm Pear with Cinnamon Ricotta
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Spinach Salad with Cranberries and Pumpkin Seeds
It's a bowlful of superfoods, with spinach, pumpkin seeds, and more tossed with a sweet-spicy vinaigrette. Serve it with roasted chicken for a complete meal.
Ingredients: Baby spinach, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, Manchego cheese, olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey, cinnamon
Calories: 267
Try this recipe: Spinach Salad with Cranberries and Pumpkin Seeds
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Sweet Potato-Black Bean Bowls
A colorful, one-dish fiber-rich meal that's easy to make and perfect for lunch or dinner.
Ingredients: Sweet potatoes, black beans, baby spinach, bell peppers, feta, cinnamon, cumin
Calories: 233
Try this recipe: Sweet Potato-Black Bean Bowls
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Moroccan Carrot Salad with Feta
Cinnamon meets cumin, cayenne, and garlic—plus the sweetness of honey and orange juice—for an exotic salad that will wake up your senses. Try it with poached eggs for an unusual take on brunch.
Ingredients: Carrots, spring greens, cilantro, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, honey, shallot, orange juice
Calories: 133
Try this recipe: Moroccan Carrot Salad with Feta
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Quick Chicken Mole
Antioxidant-rich dark chocolate is this dish's secret ingredient (trust us on this one). Combined with cinnamon, cumin and tahini, it's rich and flavorful. Serve it with rice and a steamed green vegetable so the piquant sauce takes center stage.
Ingredients: Chicken, cinnamon, cumin, tomatoes, chilies, dark chocolate, tahini.
Calories: 331
Try this recipe: Quick Chicken Mole
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Maple Spiced Nuts
Whip up these crowd-pleasing crunchers to keep at home for snacks (try them on yogurt or in a salad), or wrap them in a pretty box and give them as a hostess gift.
Ingredients: Nuts, maple syrup, butter, cinnamon, chili powder, salt
Calories: 223
Try this recipe: Maple-Spiced Nuts
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Tagine of Lamb with Caramelized Onions
Cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger mix with black pepper for a lamb dish that's full of Moroccan flavor. This deceptively easy dish is perfect for company; serve it with couscous (ready in 5 minutes) and sautéed carrots.
Ingredients: Lamb, onions, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, black pepper, honey, onions
Calories: 579
Try this recipe: Tagine of Lamb With Caramelized Onions
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Ginger and Carrot Soup
Carrots and ginger make a classic combo, and this warming soup is the perfect marriage of the two. Plus, a bit of garlic ups the immune-boosting factor. This soup is quick to prepare and freezes well, so keep some on hand for all the colder months ahead.
Ingredients: Carrots, ginger, garlic, vegetable broth
Calories: 114
Try this recipe: Ginger and Carrot Soup
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Garlic-Ginger Shrimp
Toss that takeout menu: You can have a savory Asian-inspired stir-fry on the table much faster, and it will be healthier, too. Generous amounts of ginger and garlic flavor this super-quick weeknight favorite, perfect with brown rice and steamed or sautéed snow peas.
Ingredients: Shrimp, ginger, garlic, rice wine, scallions
Calories: 311
Try this recipe: Garlic-Ginger Shrimp
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Ginger-Citrus Fruit Salad
Who says chillier weather means you can't enjoy luscious fruit? Citrus is packed with vitamin C and disease-fighting phytochemicals. In this salad, tangy grapefruit and sweet orange combine with a touch of honey and spicy citrus for a refreshing snack, breakfast or even an ice cream topper.
Ingredients: Grapefruit, oranges, ginger, honey
Calories: 99
Try this recipe: Ginger-Citrus Fruit Salad
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Edamame with Ginger-Chile Dipping Sauce
A protein- and fiber-rich snack that's fast to make, good for you and tasty? Yes, please! Fresh ginger adds a kick to the super-simple dipping sauce.
Ingredients: Edamame, ginger, sesame oil, Thai chile sauce, honey
Calories: 46
Try this recipe: Edamame With Ginger-Chile Dipping Sauce
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Salmon with Ginger-Orange Glaze
Wake up salmon filets with a few always-in-the-pantry ingredients and a bit of fresh ginger. This healthy dish, loaded with omega-3s, is easy enough for a weeknight but special enough to serve to guests. Try it with brown rice and sautéed spinach or a salad with carrot-ginger dressing.
Ingredients: Salmon, soy sauce, ginger, honey
Calories: 337
Try this recipe: Salmon With Ginger-Orange Glaze
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Asian Rice Noodle and Shrimp Soup
Nothing warms you up on a chilly night quite like soup—and one flavored with ginger has even more warming power. Vegetables and rice noodles give it heft, and fresh cilantro and mint make it extra-tasty.
Ingredients: Rice noodles, shrimp, shitake mushrooms, carrots, ginger, cilantro, mint
Calories: 203
Try this recipe: Asian Rice Noodle and Shrimp Soup
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Miso-Glazed Tofu
Think tofu has to be bland? Soak it in a flavorful miso marinade and serve it with a soy-ginger dipping sauce, and you'll be converted. Perfect with buckwheat soba noodles and sautéed baby bok choy.
Ingredients: Tofu, miso paste, soy sauce, ginger, baby bok choy, sesame oil
Calories: 164
Try this recipe: Miso-Glazed Tofu