By August 2027. Noah turns fifteen and is in his sophomore year of high school and has been writing. Not for school — his own writing, in notebooks he keeps separate from his cooking journal. He showed me a few paragraphs this month: a description of the farmers market in October, the colors and smells and sounds of it, the way a vendor's hands look after years of handling root vegetables. It was precise and warm and I read it twice and said, "Noah. This is very good writing." He said, "I've been practicing." I said, "It shows."
He asked if I thought he should submit something somewhere — a school literary journal, maybe, or a food writing contest he'd found online. I said absolutely. He said he'd been afraid it wasn't good enough. I said: that's what everyone who writes feels before they send it out. Send it out anyway. He looked at that sentence for a moment — "send it out anyway" — and I don't know if he made the connection to the book title but I think he did, because he smiled in a way that wasn't quite smiling. He submitted to the contest that week.
The third book galleys are done. "Feed Them Anyway" is going to press. It publishes October 15. Susan says the advance interest is the strongest of the three books. I'm trying to hold that calmly and trust that the work is good and the rest is not mine to manage. I've been getting better at that. Slowly.
Noah’s description of the farmers market—the root-stained hands, the colors, the October smells—stayed with me all week, and I kept coming back to it the way you come back to a sentence that does something right. It felt only natural to pull together a fall salad that night, rooted in exactly the kind of produce he’d been writing about, the beets and squash and bitter greens that are so particular to that time of year. Sometimes the best way I know to honor something is to cook it.
Fall Salad Recipes
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 50 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 medium beets, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 1 medium butternut squash (about 2 cups), peeled and cubed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 5 oz mixed hearty greens (arugula, kale, or a blend)
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup candied pecans or walnuts
- 3 oz crumbled goat cheese or feta
- 1 medium apple (Honeycrisp or Fuji), cored and thinly sliced
- Maple Cider Vinaigrette:
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Roast the vegetables. Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss beets and squash separately with 1 tablespoon olive oil each, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer (keep beets separate to avoid bleeding onto the squash). Roast for 25—30 minutes, flipping halfway, until tender and caramelized at the edges. Let cool to room temperature.
- Make the vinaigrette. Whisk together apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, and minced garlic in a small bowl. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Prep the greens. Place the mixed greens in a large salad bowl. Add the sliced red onion and apple. Drizzle with about half the vinaigrette and toss gently to coat.
- Assemble the salad. Arrange the roasted beets and squash over the dressed greens. Scatter cranberries, candied pecans, and crumbled goat cheese across the top.
- Dress and serve. Drizzle remaining vinaigrette over the top or serve it on the side. Serve immediately while the roasted vegetables are still slightly warm for the best contrast of textures.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 385 | Protein: 8g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 42g | Fiber: 6g | Sodium: 310mg