5 Fabulous Fall Soups

There is a lovely aroma in our apartment right now… a new Fall soup on the stove… this one with kabocha squash, carrots, and cauliflower… and onions and garlic, of course! I love to make soup when the days become a bit shorter, and a bit cooler, and the local farmers are flooding our produce markets with sweet potatoes, root veggies,  and all kinds of squash.  Mmmmm.

I have a usual method that I use to make vegetable soups… and the variations are endless depending upon the veggies and spices and broth you select. You can make them gluten-free, paleo vegetarian, and even vegan if you choose the right ingredients.  They are are all delcious.

You really can’t go wrong.

I will share this new soup later, but today I want to share some other favorite Fall soups from the last couple of years.

In no particular order… just click the picture to find the recipe.

Of course there are lots more on my blog and you can find them under my Soups, Salads and Dressings  tab… If you give any of my soups a try or Pin them, I would  love to know!

And if you are looking for some other ideas for homemade soups, check out these articles too:

• How to Roast Red Bell Peppers
• How to Make Homemade Turkey (or Chicken) Broth
• How to Make Your Own Vegetable Broth

Do you like to make Fall soups, too?  What’s your favorite?

My Blue Pumpkin... My Blue Heaven

A couple of weeks ago, I picked up a Blue Pumpkin squash at my local market and was marveling at its odd color, when The Captain said he thought it was pretty big and that I would never be able to eat it all. 

The challenge was on!  I had to bring it home after that, and lucky for me it was on sale, too for only 59 cents per pound… it weighed about 6.


I washed it and dried it…

and admired it some more…

and then I got The Captain to cut it in half for me.  You can see how large it was because that is his hand in the picture beside the cut squash.

Then he scooped out the seeds….

and put it on a cookie sheet…

which was barely big enough to hold it.  I baked it for a whole hour in the oven till it was cooked through and almost soft.

And I ate it in some manner, every day for the week!

With Pulled Pork Chili… a couple of times I recall…

and with eggs….

and with flax and banana and eggs in a ‘pancake’ of sorts… 

and blended with homemade turkey broth and spices to make a lovely thick ‘potage’ style soup.

I really loved the flavor of this Blue Pumpkin squash and would definitely purchase another.  It is sweeter than Butternut Squash, more like a Pumpkin, really, but not quite the same smooth texture as a Pumpkin.

And of course it is full of Vitamin A and antioxidants… and only about 75 calories for a cup of cooked squash!  If you happen to be a Weight Watcher, it is considered a zero point veggie and that is truly a bonus.

Squashes of all varieties are a staple in my diet so am always happy to find a new one.

Have you tried Blue Pumpkin?  What is your favorite type of squash?

Roasted Squash and Protein Sludge Bowl

I love squashes of all kinds and I am happy that we can purchase them all year long… but in my little corner of the world, we can buy locally grown in the Fall.

And they taste so much better! Kabochas (you may call them Buttercup), Acorns, Delicatas, Butternuts, and Spaghettis... love them ALL.

I like to have some every day and can make a meal of them… but I have learned that I do need to have some protein at every meal, too, not just carbs.  So I have had this tasty little concoction for dinner a few times lately and thought I would share it with you.

It is basically just some cut up squash, spritzed with EVOO and sprinkled with cinnamon, roasted in the oven and then topped with nut butter, hemp seeds, and a protein powder sludge.  Delicious.  Filling.  Good for you!  What could be better?

And my handy dandy little oil sprayer is the perfect tool for this job.

I have done it with kabocha squash, and with butternut squash, and later today I will be having some with acorn squash.  Think I may try it with chocolate protein powder, too.

Roasted Squash and Protein Sludge Bowl
Makes 1 serving

• Squash of your choice, enough for 1 meal size serving… this could be 1/2 acorn squash, 1/2 butternut squash or about 1/4 of a kabocha squash, about 2 cups
• 1 tsp olive oil
• sprinkle of cinnamon
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 2 Tbs almond milk
• 1 Tbs almond butter
• 1 Tbs hemp seeds

1. Preheat your oven to 375° F.
2. Wash the squash and then cut it into large chunks. You can remove the peel at this point if you will not eat it.
3. Place squash pieces on roasting pan, cut side up. Spray them with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with cinnamon.
4. Bake for 45 minutes or until soft.
5. Meanwhile mix protein powder and milk in a small bowl or measure cup to make a sludge.
6. Place the cooked squash pieces in a serving bowl. Drizzle the protein powder mixture over the top.  Spoon the almond butter over the top. Sprinkle the hemp seeds over everything.
7. Serve warm.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 10.
Calories 388; Protein 32g; Carbohydrate 39g; Fat 14g; Fibre 9g.

The N.I. will depend on the ingredients you select, of course, but this is my calculation for the kabocha squash and vanilla whey protein as illustrated.

You could certainly  make a smaller version for lunch, or use less nut butter if you like.  I hope you will get creative with your own bowl!

I like to roast a whole kabocha at a time; then I will have some already cooked for egg scrambles, and salads, and snacks.

This one was done with peeled butternut squash.

Are you a squash fan?  What is your favorite kind?

Savory Squash and Flax EggCakes

The dish that I came up with a short while ago to use up my sweet potatoes,  Sweet Potato and Flax EggCakes, gave way to another idea to use up some leftover roasted Carnival Squash.

Have you ever tried Carnival Squash?  It looks somewhat like a large yellow and green Acorn Squash, but the inside is quite different.  The fleshy walls are thicker and the cooked squash has a real sweetness to it. When it is cooled, the shell falls away from the cooked squash very easily.  I love it!



So to change up the eggcakes a bit I decided to make them savory instead of sweet, and included a bit of onion in my recipe.  I am sure any squash you would like to use, or even canned pumpkin would be nice in this recipe.

This makes a really large cake because the egg and egg whites fluff up so much. If you like, make 2 and share with a friend, or eat one and save the other for another time. This goes very nicely with some ham and some fruit on the side.





Savory Squash and Flax EggCakes
Makes 1 large cake

• 1 slice of white onion, chopped
• 1 egg 
• 1/2 cup egg whites
• 1/2 cup cooked squash
• 1 Tbs milled flax seeds
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix all the ingredients except the onions together in a medium bowl.
2. Saute the onions in a non-stick skillet over MEDIUM heat for about 3 or 4 minutes.
3. Pour the batter over the onions in the skillet and cook approximately 4 or 5 minutes until the edges dry a bit and there are bubbles in the batter. If you already make pancakes you will recognize this stage.
4. Flip the cake over and cook the second side for about 2 more minutes.
5. Remove to a plate and serve.

Per serving.

Weight Watchers P+ = 5.

Calories 220; Protein 21g; Carbohydrate 12g; Fat 9g; Fibre 3g.

Printable Recipe

Have you had a Carnival Squash?  What is your favorite squash variety?