Ahh, the smell is in the air. The leaves are turning. Fall is here and I love being back on the east coast to witness this most perfect time of year.  Oh, Fall, how I've missed you. (Especially since it is still 70* here in New York today!) I have been anticipating playing with new recipes and the experimenting has begun. So I thought I would share a few of my culinary explorations with you. Hopefully they will inspire you to get in the kitchen and experiment yourself. 
I have never been a big fruit eater. I enjoy juicing and often use apples to sweeten up any green concoction. And I do love my mother's homemade apple pie. But outside of that, when I go for a snack, it's usually not a piece of fruit. However, I have been finding that fruits, dried fruit and even jam, can really add some flavor and liven up fall vegetables and meats. you want to look for the dried fruits that will add a little sweetness to your dish with just a handful, such as blueberries, cranberries, apricots, and my new favorites, dried cherries. Personally, I would never think to buy dried cherries, but the other morning I woke up to find my sweet boyfriend had already returned from the market with a container of dried cherries, raw almonds and steel cut oats. My initial thought was "What the heck am I going to do with these?" And then I decided to get creative!
The other night I added the cherries to a wild brown rice mix with some slivered almonds and drizzled with just a little bit of Annie's Natural Raspberry Vinaigrette. It was a perfect side dish to some juicy sirloin with rosemary and sage.  
If you are concerned about the sugar content of dried fruits, try a sugar free version of the recipe with a product like POLANER Sugar Free with Fiber! 



Polaner just released this product and the apricot, orange marmalade or blackberry flavors would all be good add ins to dishes such as wild rice, a glaze for lean pork (I really want to try the apricot with pork and rosemary!) or my next adventure, quinoa with the blackberry flavor, some almond slices and roasted kale. PLUS, the new Polaner product contains extra fiber, upping the amount of this healthful nutrient in any meal. It's a great way to 'sneak' it in without anyone else in your family knowing! 

I'm also going to experiment with the high anti-oxident and powerful super food fruits, goji and mulberries. Both really pack a nutritious punch without too much sweetness. Make sure to drop me a comment if you have any recipes or ideas you'd like to share about how to add some flavor in your favorite fall dishes. Stay tuned for some more great fall recipes and ideas. I'll be cooking up a storm to keep the home warm!