Diet Friendly Fast Food

The air is crisp and cool. The glorious fall colors have arrived. A kaleidoscope of beauty is everywhere you look, making even mundane daily errands a thing of joy. This is simply my favorite time of year!

And I know all too well, just as autumn arrives here in the blink of an eye, it exits just as quickly. Sadly, its by far our shortest season so Im relishing each and every moment. Ive been enjoying long hikes in the woods, roller blading through the park, and harvesting seasonal veggies from the garden.

Yup, my backyard garden is still in full swing with squash, cauliflower, chard, cabbage, carrots, leeks, pumpkin, and kale. Late season fruits and veggies grace the fall table with color and variety. That beauty up top is a butternut squash, one of my favorites because of its sweet, full flavor.

There are over 25 species of pumpkin and squash, some of which have been cultivated for 9,000 years. All varieties are rich in beta-carotene and contain ample amounts of vitamin C.

A landslide of apples and pears also appear mid-September and don’t let up until winter. I recently made a trip to one of the local orchards, and came home with a nice fragrant selection of both sweet and tart varieties.

I dont know about you, but something happens internally for me when autumn arrives. As if on cue, my belly says, "soup, please!"  And thats when the wheels started turning: "Hmmm, butternut squash + apples + pears...sounds like soup to me."

So heres two different recipes for you to try, one savory, one sweet. Ill list the ingredients separately, but you can follow the same preparation instructions for both. Super simple and oh-so good. Enjoy!

Butternut Pear Soup
1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
2 carrots, cut into medallions
2 leeks, cleaned well and sliced
2 Bosc pears, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 Tbsp cold pressed extra-virgin olive oil
6 C vegetable broth
1 sprig fresh thyme
1-inch ginger root, grated
coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Butternut Apple Soup
1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
2 Honeycrisp apples, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 C coconut milk (meat + water of 1 young coconut, blended)
2 Tbsp local raw honey (can substitute agave nectar)
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp allspice
½ tsp cinnamon

Preparation:

1. With a large heavy knife, cut the squash in half lengthwise through the stem and remove the seeds.
2. Peel the rind from the squash with a vegetable peeler, and cut into small pieces.
3. Prepare the rest of your ingredients and set aside.
4. Using either a high-powered blender or a food processor, add liquids first, followed by the squash and remaining ingredients. Process until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

If you do use a high-powered blender, you can continue blending until the soup warms. No Vitamix? No problem. Invest in a double boiler. Its great for warming foods slowly. Just stir often and dont let the soup boil – if you can stick your finger in without getting scalded, youre good to go. You could also pour your soup into a glass mason jar with a lid and submerge the jar in a bath of hot water to warm it up.

Serve in pre-warmed bowls and pair with a nice salad.

Looking for more seasonal recipes? Ive compiled all of my Harvest-Inspired Autumn Recipes for you. Check them out and enjoy!

Tell me, when the weather gets cooler, what kind of food does your belly crave?

(For Phase One Fridays I highlight Phase One recipes from the past that have been my personal favorites, and this Spicy Slow Cooker Soup with Ground Turkey, Pinto Beans, Red Bell Pepper, and Green Chiles is a tummy-warming soup that includes green enchilada sauce to add lots of flavor.  I love this sprinkled with grated cheese, enjoy!)

Ever since I made the Layered Mexican Casserole with Chicken and Green Chiles I find myself grabbing a few cans of Hatch Green Chile Enchilada Sauce whenever I'm at the grocery store.  There are other good brands of green chile enchilada sauce, but Hatch brand seems perfect to my tastebuds, and when I wanted to spice up this spicy ground turkey and pinto bean slow cooker soup the Hatch enchilada sauce plus a can of diced green chiles gave me just the right amount of heat.  I loved the soup with a little grated cheese sprinkled on top, and for those who'd like even more heat, Green Tabasco Sauce is the perfect thing to add to your soup at the table.

(Autumn Harvest Soup was updated with better photos in November 2014.)

Sometimes recipes that just come together out of whatever's on hand turn out to be some of my favorites, and this Autumn Harvest Soup with Butternut Squash, Kale, and Farro (or Brown Rice) is one I came up with when I had butternut squash and kale and I'd been craving Farro, an ingredient I've loved ever since I tried it in Farro with Mushrooms. The butternut, kale, and farro combination here turned out to be wonderful, but if you wanted a gluten-free version you could make this with brown rice, which would also be very tasty.