What to Cook This October
Posted by Kathryne Taylor on October 1, 2024
October is here, hooray! The cooler weather is most welcome. I’m looking forward to a cozy fall and the holidays, but I might love these glorious sunny days in between seasons the most. As the weather cools down, let’s mark the time with warm apple crisp, hearty chili, and wholesome pumpkin bread. You’ll find more seasonal recipes to enjoy below, and I have a full line-up of new recipes coming your way this fall.
October will be a big month for the blog. I’m finally ready to launch a redesigned website with great new features to help you find exactly what you want to cook. This redesign has been in the works for over three years (!), and I’m so excited to share it with you. Keep an eye out!
Apples
Healthy Apple Muffins
Easily gluten free and easily vegan (see notes)
“Made them this morning with one Granny Smith and one Macintosh. Your recipe is fantastic! The rose so well, made a beautiful crust and were nice and tender inside. Taste was great!” – Pierre
Beets
Colorful Beet Salad with Carrot, Quinoa & Spinach
Gluten free and vegan
“This could be THE best salad I have ever made. I have a vegan friend who I am always trying to find interesting recipes for and she also loved it. I made it exactly as per your recipe apart from adding a mixture of toasted almond flakes and pumpkins seeds.” – Heather
Broccoli
Broccoli, Cheddar & Quinoa Gratin
Gluten free
“This was so good! I’ve been trying to find one dish recipes that can also feed baby and this was perfect! I was almost too lazy to make the breadcrumbs but I’m so glad I did because it was simple and and so worth it! I also used a bit of cauliflower because I had it and it was good in there too. I think I’m going to make this again and bring it to Easter! It’s a perfect healthier version of a classic!” – Stephanie
Cabbage
Hot Pink Coconut Slaw
Gluten free and vegan
“This was delicious! We devoured it all. Our 3-year-old even said “Num, num!” and she is not usually a huge cabbage fan.” – Amanda
Carrots
Creamy Thai Carrot Sweet Potato Soup
Gluten free and vegan
“Today was our first cool day for the season. When I stepped outside for my morning walk I knew I would be making this soup for dinner. It was so good. Thanks so much for choosing to share this tasty recipe. I can’t wait to get Angela’s new cookbook.” – Cathy
Cauliflower
Mediterranean Cauliflower Rice
Gluten free and vegan
“I’ve never had cauliflower rice before, but a Google search took me to this recipe, which I made tonight. It was absolutely delicious and I have enough leftovers to use as a side dish tomorrow night I highly recommend it!” – Deirdre
Corn
Fresh Black Bean Salad
Gluten free and vegan
“I made this when we were on vacation this summer, and we had it with tostadas as chips to scoop it up. My ten-year-old son said “best dinner ever!” It was scrumptious. I’ve made it a couple times now, and I love having it on hand in the fridge for snacks or easy meals. Yum! Delish and very fresh testing!” – E
Cucumber
Fattoush Salad with Mint Dressing
Easily vegan
“This is SO delicious I absolutely love how all the flavors work together & that mint dressing is incredibly yummy! Thanks Kate & Cookie!” – Colleen
Eggplant
The Best Ratatouille
Gluten free and vegan (just depends on your accompaniments)
“I was totally blown away by this Ratatouille recipe…so simple with so much flavor! I picked this particular recipe because I have a basil plant that went into overload so I have an abundance of basil and wanted to use it up before the season runs out on us. I totally underestimated the power of “roasting”! Thank you so much!!” – Dessa
Fennel
Spring Carrot, Radish and Quinoa Salad with Herbed Avocado
Gluten free and easily vegan
“I LOVED this salad! Made it twice in one week. I skipped the honey in the dressing and used pumpkin seeds in stead. Great combination of favors and textures. This salad made me a follower of your recipes!” – Lisa
Grapes
Roasted Grape Crostini with Brie and Fresh Thyme
Just vegetarian
I need you to try these crostini and let me know how you like them!
That’s my only recipe with grapes so far. More to come.
Hardy greens (arugula,
chard, collard greens & spinach)
Mexican Green Salad with Jalapeño-Cilantro Dressing
Gluten free and easily vegan
“This Mexican salad is absolutely delicious! The dressing is to die for. Even my 26 year old son who is not a big salad eater really enjoyed it and even took some home with him. He especially liked the dressing. I added two cups of cooked quinoa to make it a little more filling as well as some fresh corn I needed to use up. I have been eating it all week for lunch and it is just perfect. I used a rather large jalapeno but removed the seeds etc and the dressing is not too spicy but has a little kick to it.” – Annika
Kale
Mediterranean Roasted Sweet Potato & Farro Salad
Easily vegan
“I made this for supper tonight, and I love it! There might not be leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch. My grocery store didn’t have sumac, but I’ll have to get some for next time, because I’m definitely making it again!” – Emilie
Melons
Watermelon Salad with Herbed Yogurt Sauce
Gluten free and easily vegan
“Wonderful refreshing summer lunch. I used an English cucumber. I was surprised how much I liked the pickled shallots. I’ll make again as long as watermelon is in season.” – Allison
More watermelon recipes » (also cantaloupe and these honeydew margaritas)
Mushrooms
Arugula and Cremini Quiche with Gluten-Free Almond Meal Crust
Gluten free
“You just won my meat-eating friends over with this quiche! They’re going to be running over to C+K now for recipes! Thanks again for another hit! It’s so easy to be a “chef” with these fail proof recipes!” – Deepthi
Pears
Pear, Raspberry and Goat Cheese Crostini
Just vegetarian
“This morning I was frantically running around the kitchen in desperate search for a healthy lunch to pack. So you saved me! It took me 4 minutes to prep all of this and take it to-go. Now I’m sitting quietly at my desk waiting for lunch time. Is it here yet?” – Sylvia
Peppers
Thai Red Curry with Vegetables
Gluten free and vegan
“The best curry ever!
Fabulous and so quick and easy to make.” – Gillian
More bell pepper recipes » (also jalapeños)
Pumpkin
Creamy Pumpkin Marinara
Easily gluten free and easily vegan
“I made this last night and it was quick, easy, and delicious! My children (7 & 10) loved it and they can be a tough crowd to please :-)” – Stefanie
Potatoes
Roasted Breakfast Potatoes
Gluten-free and vegan
Please roast up these potatoes and comment on the post to let me know how they turn out!
Radishes
Mega Crunchy Romaine Salad with Quinoa
Gluten free and vegan
“Eating this salad right now and I am blown away! So crunchy and the dressing is awesome! Perfect for today’s summer weather.
Thanks for all your awesome recipes!! :)” – Frances
Squash (summer & winter varieties)
Hearty Roasted Butternut Squash & Apple Salad
Easily gluten free and vegan
“Made this salad last night and it was a huge hit with the crowd! Substituted quinoa for wheat berries because that’s what I had at the time. The best part is eating leftovers for lunch today! Whenever I need some ideas for dinner I check out your recipes and I have loved all of them. Thanks for sharing!” – Gillian
More butternut squash recipes » (also delicata squash, acorn squash, yellow squash and zucchini)
Sweet Potatoes
Spicy Sweet Potato and Green Rice Burrito Bowls
Gluten free and vegan
“Loved this! Perfect supper with wind chills below zero. I’ll be making that rice again and again. Can’t wait to taste it tomorrow, I think it will taste even better. Thanks for this great recipe.” – Kathleen
More resources you might appreciate: 23 make-ahead breakfast recipes, 45 recipes that pack well for lunch and 20 simple weeknight dinners. You can shop my essential kitchen equipment here. Don’t forget to follow us on Pinterest for a steady stream of recipe inspiration!
I am making my way slowly through the recipes and I loved all of them. They are easy to do and fresh. Thank you
Congratulations on the beautiful angel. Love the name ‘Grace’. Wishing you and family a lifetime of joy and happiness. Thank you for sharing the recipes, they are my go to place for inspiration.
Thank you!
Congratulations on your sweet baby! She is beautiful! And thank you for this post; I love how easy it is to come look at your site for ideas on how to use in-season produce. Your website is a wonderful, helpful resource for me!
Thank you, Jodi!
Congratulations on the birth of your beautiful baby girl! As beautiful as all your recipe photos are, she steals the show this month!
Wishing you and your family good health and happiness!
Thank you, Hava! I appreciate it.
Congratulations on the arrival of your sweet baby Grace! Sending you and your family warm wishes as you start your new adventure together. And thank you for all your delicious recipes. I’d be lost without your website for meals to feed my own family.
Thank you, Kelly!
omigosh congrats on the family + 1 – so beautiful!
Thank you!
Congratulations on your little girl! She’s beautiful! Parenting is the toughest job but the most rewarding job I’ve had. Living life through the eyes of a child is a wonderful gift.
We love your cookbook and coming here for healthy dinner inspiration. Thank you!
Thank you, Mary!
Thank you for the recipes! I rely on these lists more than you know haha
Congratulations on your beautiful baby girl! Truly a blessing!
Thank you, Rosina!
So excited to see your new baby!! congratulations <3
Thank you, Kit!
CONGRATULATIONS KATE!! I’m so happy for you. She is so beautiful! A fall baby, like me. I wish you and your family (and cookie) an eternity of happy times. These recipes look amazing, by the way, can’t wait to cook up some delicious and seasonal meals.
Xoxo Caroline
Thank you, Caroline! :)
Congratulations, Kate! She is so lovely. Motherhood is such a beautiful time. I am a longtime reader/fan of your blog. Became a mother myself in 2018 and baby brother arrived four months ago so he shares the same birth year as Grace. Congratulations again and soak up all that special time with the little one. So happy for you.
Thank you, Dina!
Congratulations! She’s beautiful.
Thank you, Tamara!
Mazel tov on the birth of your baby! How are you feeling?
Thank you, Sarah!
Oh Grace is so beautiful! So happy for you and your family! I hope Cookie is adjusting to her little sister. Be well.
Thank you, Lin!
Baby Grace is beautiful, I enjoy all your recipes, very tasty and not labor intensive
Thank you, Trudy!
Congratulations! She is so beautiful. Does the world seem to be in technicolor now? When I had my son, all the colors in the neighborhood seemed to be in technicolor!
Thank you! We are very excited she is here.
KATE,
Your daughter Grace is just super beautiful! All the best to you and your wonderful family! And thank you for years of excellent recipes which I use almost every day :)
Thank you, Karen! :)
Congrats! Baby Grace is very cute :)
Thank you, Amber!
Congratulations!! Baby Grace is a doll! You continue to be my go-to for deliciously flavorful and healthy recipes! Thank you and best wishes as you adjust to mommyhood!
Thank you, Marina! I appreciate your review.
Congratulations dear Kate!!
Thank you, Ana!
Ooh a BABY, now that’s a heck of a recipe! 9 months in the oven! Congratulations and many many best wishes. Mine just graduated college, seems like yesterday I was reading Qu’est q’uon dit, mon petit? and The Wind In The Willows, The Chronicles of Prydain, El Rey Los Ratones y El Queso…I told my coworker when she was pregnant that having a kid is like being on an endless greased water slide ha ha, but I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. ENJOY!
P.S. About to use your naturally sweetened cranberry recipe again, mmmm
Thank you, Toby!
Congratulations on your beautiful baby girl! <3
Thank you, Anne!
I am a bit behind but thank you for your wonderful recipes! You are a gift and I am thrilled to see your beautiful – I mean GORGEOUS-baby. Thank you for your work and blessings to you and your beautiful new family!
Thank you, Vicki!
Kate, congratulations and welcome to a whole new experience with your beautiful baby. I’ve looked to your blog for years for recipes and inspiration–it is one of the best. Thank you.
Thank you so much, Rachel. I’m really enjoying motherhood. Happy holidays to you and your family!
Oh, my goodness! Your sweet Grace is adorable-congratulations!!! Blessings to you and your family!
Thank you, Lisa! She’s sleeping on me as I type. Life is good. :)
I hadn’t visited your blog recently but did some catching up today after making your lemony collard greens recipe. Congratulations on baby Grace! What a delight, and what a learning curve it is! I had my second baby earlier this year and am already missing those snoozy little newborn snuggles. Wishing you some sleep and lots of joy amidst the chaos as you navigate raising baby and continuing to do this amazing blog.
Thank you, Rebecca! Congratulations to you as well.
Congratulations on your baby daughter, Grace! She’s beautiful!
Thank you, Linda!
Sooooo! happy for you/husband, cookie and your beautiful daughter.
I love and my family loves your recipes. Be well.
Thank you!
While I certainly love your recipes (many printed and saved for more future uses) and your regular emails, I’m so happy for you and your new family member-so cute!
Thank you, William!
Awwww. I miss babies in the home. Enjoy motherhood.
Hi Kate! The monthly posts keep mentioning ideas for new recipe posts but there have been little to no new recipes for months. Is everything ok? Are you planning on maintaining the blog and posting new recipes or are you just going with everything that has already been posted here? This seems out of the normal for the blig and has been going on for quite some time now. Thank you!
Hi Emily! Thank you for your comment. I do plan to have new recipes! I’ve been working on finding suitable childcare for my one-year-old daughter. Hopefully soon. :) I appreciate all your support.
Good luck with finding some childcare and I just want to say that i sooooooo appreciate that you take the time to really get a recipe just right before posting! I am always confident when making recipes from your blog as they always turn out well! :D
Thank you , Dani! :)
We need another cookbook! I have gifted, at least, five! I made your chickpea noodle soup a couple of days ago and we loved it! We
had leftovers and I think it tasted even better the second day. Would it work
to freeze the yummy broth and add noodles as we cooked portions since our gluten free noodles were falling apart the second day? it’s not as easy to cook from your website as the cookbook,
Thank you!!!
Thank you, Shari! I’m delighted you are enjoying my blog and cookbook recipes. I don’t have another one planned. Sorry! Yes, freezing without the noodles and then adding later could work. I do know brown rice noodles tend to work best for gluten free pasta. Be sure to not over cook from the start. I hope that helps!