This week we'll explore shishito peppers and a special recipe for a must-make treat. We'll also delve into tomorrow's fall equinox and why September is the perfect time to watch the sunset.

Eat Colorfully

Seasonal Ingredient Spotlight: SHISHITO PEPPERS

This week, I'm excited to introduce you to (or remind you of) a great ingredient that might be at your local farmers market right now: shishito peppers. These tasty peppers are a blast for one simple reason: their heat is variable and unpredictable. Most are quite mild, but about one in every 10 or 20 is spicy. You never know what you're going to get! Don't worry though, the "hot" ones aren't too hot; most "spicy" shishitos have considerably less heat than a jalapeno, so they're not painful.

The most common way to cook shishitos is in a skillet over high heat. They cook very quickly and their skin blisters, making them tender and flavorful. They're a great (and easy) finger food for an appetizer or happy hour snack, especially if salted generously and served with a dipping sauce. We love them on a Friday night alongside some margaritas and guacamole.

One of my favorite ways to use shishitos, however, is in a salad. Their delicate heat is the perfect complement to sweet fruit like mango or pineapple. If you want to try shishitos in a less traditional way, check out this Blistered Shishito Pepper and Mango Salad; it's a go-to in our house for dinners on the deck when we're grilling.

Special Recipe: PINK MATCHA FREEZER FUDGE

If you're looking for a special (but secretly healthy) treat for busy fall days, you have to try this adorable freezer fudge. It's easy to make, vegan, and naturally sweetened, plus it has some protein and healthy fats thanks to cashew butter. This recipe isn't available on my blog; it's just for you all, this wonderful newsletter community.

My biggest tip for making this pretty treat: make sure you have really good matcha. Not all matcha is created equal; in fact, there are several different grades. A high-quality matcha is delicate, bright green, subtly floral, and fresh, whereas lower-quality matcha can be bitter, assertively grassy, and off-putting. My go-to is Matcha Nude (use the code ROGUE to get 15% off).

Ingredients:

• 16-oz jar of smooth, natural, raw cashew butter
• ½ c melted coconut oil
• ¼ c maple syrup
• 2-3 tbsp pink berry/fruit powder of choice (e.g. pink pitaya powder, acai powder, pomegranate powder, powdered freeze-dried strawberries or raspberries, etc.)
• 1-2 tsp matcha powder

Directions:

1. In a small mixing bowl, combine the cashew butter, melted coconut oil, and maple syrup, then stir until creamy and homogeneous. Divide the mixture in half into two separate bowls.
2. To half of the freezer fudge mixture, add the pink berry/fruit powder and mix.
3. To the other half of the freezer fudge mixture, add the matcha powder and mix.
4. Pour most of the pink freezer fudge mixture into 16 small silicone molds, filling each about halfway. Set aside several spoonfuls for later use.
5. Gently pour the matcha freezer fudge mixture into the 16 small silicone molds, layering it on top of the pink mixture.
6. Use the remaining few spoonfuls of pink freezer fudge mixture to drizzle on top of the matcha mixture, being careful not to overfill the molds.
7. Use a butter knife to gently swirl the two colors together.
8. Transfer the silicone molds to the freezer, ideally in a large, sealed container. Freeze overnight.
9. Remove the fudge from the freezer and gently pop the freezer fudge out from the silicone molds.
10. Store the fudge in the freezer in an airtight container for up to several weeks. To serve, let the fudge warm up at room temperature for five minutes until rich and creamy.

Bread Pan Variation:​
You can easily make this freezer fudge recipe in a bread pan instead of silicone molds. Start by lining the bread pan with several layers of plastic wrap. Follow the same sequence as above, adding all of the mixture to the bread pan instead of the silicone molds. Cover the bread pan and freeze overnight. Then, using the sides of the plastic wrap, pull the fudge out of the pan. Make two cuts length-wise and five cuts width-wise to create 18 portions.

Live Colorfully

In the Natural World: THE FALL EQUINOX

Tomorrow (September 22) marks the official beginning of fall. But do you know how fall is actually defined and what event specifically kicks it off?

Called the equinox, this is a special day in which the Earth's tilt passes through its midpoint. During the northern hemisphere's winter, we (in the northern hemisphere) are tilted away from the sun; conversely, during the summer, we're tilted toward the sun. At the equinox, that tilt comes through its midpoint as the Earth continues to rotate around the sun. So, at the fall equinox, the northern hemisphere is just beginning its half of the orbital path in which it is tilted away from the sun.

It's important to note that this is a gradual transition that has been happening ever since we had our longest day on summer solstice in June; that's why our days in the northern hemisphere have been getting progressively shorter. We'll continue losing daylight until winter solstice in December, then slowly begin gaining it again as our journey around the sun progresses. The equinox marks the time at which we'll be experiencing the fastest decrease in daylight, so you'll be noticing really big changes if you live at the higher latitudes.

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Self-Care Pick: CATCH THE (EARLIER) SUNSET

Are darker days and cooler temperatures getting you down? Especially since we're at the equinox right now (see the section above), we're losing daylight fast. However, there are a few silver linings to the darker days. For example, a couple weeks ago we chatted about fall rainbows (easier to spot with the lower sun angle!). Then, last week, we explored why September evenings are the perfect time for a bonfire.

This week's fall silver lining? You can see the sunset earlier! At the height of summer, the sun sets so late (especially here in northern Vermont) that it can actually be hard to see if you go to bed early. This time of year though, the sun sets much earlier, before 7:00PM. That means you can easily catch the sunset and still make it to bed early. As an added bonus, still-warm temperatures make it comfortable to stay out after the sun goes down, unlike later in the fall.

Want to see some sunsets this week? Try going on a walk after dinner somewhere with a westward view. You can look up local sunset times online, and you'll see the sunset time in your weather app if you have an iPhone.

Thanks for joining me for this issue of Eat Colorfully, Live Colorfully! I'd love to hear from you, so please feel free to reply with questions, thoughts, or requests. If you missed a previous issue, you can view all my newsletters here. Have a great week!