Autumn Apple-nut Soup

This is a winner. I am a true sucker for anything with butternut squash in it. Apples are like the icing on the cake for me! So this soup was sure to please!

Ingredients:

2 T Olive Oil

2 cups chopped yellow onion (about 1 medium onion)

1 T curry powder

2.5 pounds butternut squash (about 1 large squash)

2 sweet apples

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup apple cider or apple juice

Directions:

1. Slice butternut squash in half and roast on a baking sheet for 30-45 minutes, flesh side down.

2. Warm the oil, onions, and curry powder in a large soup pot over low heat for about 15-20 minutes. Onions should start to soften. Stir often to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan

3. Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Cut into chunks.

3. When squash comes out of the oven, remove the seeds and stringy pulp, then scoop flesh into the soup pot.

4. Add apples, salt, pepper, and chicken stock to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and cok over low heat for 20 minutes until apples are very soft.

5. Process the soup through a food processor.

6. Pour soup back into the pot. Add apple cider and enough water to make the soup consistency the way you like it. It should be quite thick. Add more salt and pepper to taste

Serve and enjoy :) Another perfect soup ending to a long fall/winter day!

Tortellini Soup in TWENTY!

Yes, I just posted a tortellini soup about 2 weeks ago! This one takes a little longer to cook, and a little longer to prep, but its packed with veggies, and we have fallen in love with cheese tortellini. So here you go! Another. I like this one a little better, but Nick ranks them exactly the same!

Ingredients:

2 T EVOO

1 whole onion, chopped

2 whole zucchini, chopped

1.5 cups carrots, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

32 ounces chicken broth

9 ounces fresh tortellini

1 cup frozen corn

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Fresh basil for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot, heat your oil until hot over medium heat. Add onion, zucchini, carrots and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until onion softens (5ish minutes)

2. Add tomatoes, salt, and pepper

3. Add chicken broth and heat to boiling

4. Next, add in your tortellini and corn. Here is a quick picture of the rainbow cheese tortellini we used!

5. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until tortellini are tender (about 5-6 minutes).

6. Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and some fresh chopped basil!

Enjoy :) This is sooo good. A perfect soup after a long day at work!

Balsamic Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Shrooms!

This is a delicious, very "fall/autumn" side! Easy to make. Healthy and delicious-very cheap to make. Try it!

What it takes:

2 large sweet potatoes

3 T chicken stock

2.5 T EVOO

2 T Balsamic Vinegar

1 tsp dried thyme

Salt and Pepper

12 oz mushrooms

2-3 T chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

 

How to Bake:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

2. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray. 

3. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into 1 inch cubes

4. Whisk together the chicken stock, oil, balsamic, and thyme. Toss sweet potatoes with half of the balsamic mixture, then spread into a single layer onto baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. 

5. Roast in the oven for about 20-25 minutes until beginning to slightly brown.

6. While sweet potatoes cook, wash your mushrooms and dry them. Cut into thick slices and toss with remaining balsamic mixture.

7. Once sweet potatoes are getting tender, (after you 20ish minutes)- remove from oven and turn them. Add mushrooms to the baking sheet and spread everything to one single layer with mushrooms distributed among the potatoes. 

8. Roast about 20-25 minutes more until sweet potatoes are very tender and mushrooms are done.

9. Remove to a serving bowl and season with salt and pepper again if desired. Sprinkle with parsley and serve!

Enjoy :)

Tortellini Soup in TEN!

Thats right. A soup you can throw together in about 10 minutes and enjoy as if you made the tortellini by hand!! This was delicious. Nick had 3 servings :) It's so healthy - you gotta try it!

• 2 cans (14 Oz. Can) Fat-free, Low-sodium Chicken Broth
• 3 cups Water
• ⅓ cups Sliced Green Onions
• ½ teaspoons Dried Basil
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 8 ounces, weight Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast, Cubed
• 1 package (9 Oz. Package) Cheese-filled Tortellini
• 2 cups Fresh Spinach, Chopped

1. In a large stock pot, heat broth, water, onions, basil and garlic to boiling.
2. Stir in chicken and tortellini. Reduce heat to medium; simmer uncovered about 4 minutes.
3. Add spinach; cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until spinach is wilted, tortellini is tender, and chicken is cooked through. If desired, season to taste with pepper.

Enjoy :)

Tempt Yourself- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Granola Bars!

Okay, these are a home run! I had some good feedback on the last granola bars I posted. Luckily, these new ones are EASIER and you will have more of the ingredients on hand compared to the last ones I posted! These are healthy, and SO yummy :) I found this recipe on one of the blogs I follow called Two Peas and Their Pod. Can't take any credit, but wish I could! Here we go!

If you aren't in love with these yet, the pictures only get MORE tempting!!

Ingredients:

3 1/4 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 

*If you don't have this, mix cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger together*
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup applesauce
¼ cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips  (I only used 1/2 cup and used dark chocolate)

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350.

In one bowl, mix together the oats, spices, and salt.

In a separate bowl, mix together the sugar, pumpkin, applesauce, honey, and vanilla. Stir until smooth.

Pour over the oats and fold together until all oats are "wet."

Stir in chocolate chips.

Pour into a greased 8X8 baking dish and pack it down tight!

Bake for about 30-35 minutes, until edges get golden brown:

Allow to cool for about half an hour, or stick in the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes, then cut into sqaures/bars/whatever you like!

We have already eaten 2 of these. They won't last long. You may want to double the recipe :)

ENJOY!!

Pumpkin Chili.. It's Dinner in a Pumpkin!

This recipe for chili SCREAMS fall in so many ways! You can serve it in a pumpkin (or not)- plus.. the secret ingredient? Canned pumpkin! Don't worry if you aren't a fan of pumpkin, you can't even taste it. It just gives the chili a thicker-heartier texture, and of course, a pretty orange color! Serving it in the pumpkin just tops it off!

IF you do want to serve it in a pumpkin, make sure you get PIE PUMPKINS. Don't get carving pumpkins, won't be the same taste!

Ingredients:

Optional: 1 pie pumpkin PER person

·         2 T Olive Oil

·         ½ cup chopped onion

·         1 cup diced red bell pepper

·         1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

·         1 lb ground turkey

·         15 oz can pumpkin puree

·         2-14oz cans diced tomatoes

·         15 oz can tomato sauce

·         15 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

·         4 oz can diced green chilies

·         ½ cup corn

·         1 T chili powder

·         1 tsp ground cumin

If you are going to use the pumpkins, you will want to cut the tops off (save them for baking)- and seed the pumpkins. Then place pumpkins (tops back on) on a baking sheet and stick them in a 375 degree oven for about an hour. Your knife should be able to cut through them like butter when they are done!

You can't tell, but these have baked for an hour and are ready to stuff with chili!

While they cook in the oven, cook your chili on the stove:

1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium high heat. Add onion, pepper, and garlic. Cook 5-7 minutes until softened.

2. Add turkey/beef and cook until browned.

3. Add tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, pumpkin, tomato sauce, beans, chilies, corn, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper.

4. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.

You could go to step 4, and then after the boil, transfer chili to the pumpkin and let them bake inside the pumpkins in the oven for the remainder of the time. I didn't, but you could!

Whichever way you chose, serve each person their chili inside of a pumpkin! The presentation is outstanding, and if you want you can even scoop some pumpkin flesh off of the wall of the pumpkin and eat it as you go! (For pumpkin lovers only!)

You could also top with some kind of Mexican cheese.  Or you could toast up some of the seeds you scooped out and serve those over top as well :) 

Enjoy this fall delight!

Kickin' Adobo Turkey Burgers!

So, I made these pretty simple turkey burgers that have a nice kick to them. Not too spicy, but enough to really make them earn the title! Super easy. Super cheap ingredient list. I think you'll love them!

Checklist:

1 lb ground turkey

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

2 T fresh chopped cilantro (or 2 tsp dried)

2 chipotle peppers in adobo, seeded and finely chopped

1 T garlic powder

1 T onion powder

1/2 tsp seasoned salt

1/4 tsp ground pepper

1 tsp cumin

Mix it all together and form into patties!

Throw these on the grill, or when off-season, bake them in the oven until juices run clear!

We polished off all but one! They were excellent :) Nick was a fan!!

ENJOY!