Officially Autumn

The changing of the seasons is my favorite time - it all seems so new and exciting again! I've had a bit of a cold for the past few days, but that hasn't stopped me from jumping into Autumn food mode (and hey - colds are kind of part of the season too, aren't they?).

Here's a few photos from the weekend. Stuffed delicata squash on Saturday - this time the filling consisted of a vegan Italian sausage, onions, wheat berries, kale, and hazelnuts.

 More stuffed squash! <3

Sunday breakfast was round two of the tri-colored quinoa - this time combined with wild pears, dried cherries, and pecans.

Speaking of wild pears - Jonathan has gotten really into searching out edibles around where we live. This weekend he make himself a fruit picker (basically a pole with a hook and basket on the end) and came back with this bowl full of pears, apples, and plums! The pears are amazing.

Sunday Night Dinner: One of my favorite soups - Sweet Potato, Carrot, and Apple Soup (recipe below), with homemade French bread, spinach salad, and apple cider.

 

 By the way - the apple cider was totally homemade too! Jonathan's coworker has an apple press and a bunch of apple trees and was kind enough to let us try it out. Unfortunately I don't have any photos of the process because Jonathan though that 9:30pm was a really good time to try this out, so we gathered apples and pressed all of the cider by the light of a headlamp. :)  The cider is amazing though - we only got about 2/3 of a gallon but I really hope we can go back (preferably in the daylight) and try it again!

Sweet Potato, Carrot, and Apple Soup

(Adapted from here)

2 Tbs Butter

2 Tbs Olive Oil

3 medium Sweet Potatoes, peeled and diced

3 large Carrots, peeled and diced

1 large Onion, diced

1 (or 2!) Apples, peeled, cored, and diced

1/2 cup Red Lentils

4 cups Vegetable Broth

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp: ginger, cinnamon, chili powder, black pepper, cumin

1/4tsp cayenne 

1. In a large pot, combine butter and olive oil - saute sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, and apples until onions are translucent.

2. Add lentils, spices, and vegetable broth. Simmer until potatoes are tender - about 30 minutes.

3. At this point you can either leave the soup chunky, blend a little of it using an immersion blender, or blend the whole thing in batches for a smooth soup.

Tastes like Autumn! Enjoy!

-C