14 Ways to Cook With Fall Spices

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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