Fall Just Tastes so Good...

One of my favorite things about Fall is all of the great foods now coming into season. 

In our area there are wild blackberries ripening everywhere!  In the parks, along roadways and oceanside walkways.  Normally these vines are a real nuisance, but once the flowers turn to berries and those berries ripen, everyone suddenly loves them!

Yesterday we picked 10 cups in just over 15 minutes... and today I decided to try freezing a few of them. I washed them and then left them drain to dry a bit and then spread them out on a cookie sheet and placed it in the freeze while I went out for my morning run.

When I got back and checked on them, the berries were frozen solid and so we put them in containers and then popped them back into the freezer. I hope we won't have to purchase frozen berries at all this winter if I can get out picking a couple more times.

2-cup containers for freezing



And some of my other favorite Fall foods? 

Well, all of the squashes, of course, but also sweet potatoes... you know those dark orange Beauregard Sweet Potatoes that we like to call yams to distinguish them from the drier yellow-fleshed variety.  I wonder if they were not available when I was a child because my Mother only ever bought the yellow ones, and I never cared for those at all.

spaghetti squash and butternut are 2 of my favorites



One of my fellow Canadian FitFluential Abassadors, Tamara Grand, who blogs at fitknitchick, shared a recipe on her Facebook page recently called Curried Sweet Potato Soup.  I have no idea where it originated; perhaps it is her own.  But I knew when I read the ingredient list I would have to try it.

I used about half the oil that Tamara called for in her ingredient list so I will share it with you as I made it up...  It is delicious!  And very filling, too.  The Captain and I each had a bowl for lunch and it kept us satisfied till dinner.  It is thick and chunky and it smelled wonderful while it was cooking.

Instead of baking a chicken breast to use, I opened and drained a can of Kirkland seasoned chicken breast... you all know I am a big fan of this handy and tasty canned chicken.  I measured out 3/4 cup and then put the rest in the fridge for another day.

 



Curried Sweet Potato and Chicken Soup
Makes 2 hearty servings

• 1/2 Tbs olive oil
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 8 oz. in weight)
• 1/4 cup chopped white onion
• 1/2 medium red pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 bunch kale, stems removed and leaved coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled, smashed and minced
• 1/2 Tbs ground cumin
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup cooked and diced chicken breast

1. Warm the oil in a large saucepan.
2. Add the vegetables and saute about 5 minutes till the kale starts to go limp.
3. Add the cumin and stir to coat the vegetables.
4. Cover the vegetables with water to about 1/2-inch depth. (This was 1-1/2 cups of water for me.)
5. Cover the saucepan, bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer and let cook for 30 minutes.
6. Remove from heat.
7. Puree with immersion blender or food processor. (Leave a bit chunky.)
8. Add chicken to mixture and heat through.  Season with salt and pepper.
9. Divide between 2 bowls and garnish with a dollop of yogurt before serving.

Per serving, not including yogurt.
Weight Watchers P+ = 7.
Calories 274; Protein 19g; Carbohydrate 42g; Fat 5g; Fibre 6g.

You could easily make 3 or 4 servings out of this amount if you wanted to have a salad or perhaps a sandwich, or some yogurt and fruit for lunch as well.  And you can certainly double or triple the amounts too, to make a large batch. I am sure it would freeze nicely... don't forget to use a larger saucepan though!

Saute the veggies till the kale gets limp before adding cumin and then water.

 

Printable Recipe