My Favorite Things: Fall Recipes Edition

I am not a fan of fall and winter, or cold weather, but I am a fan of soups. I love making and eating soup. Lots and lots of soup. It is hard to make lots and lots of soup in the summer time (it is hot in NC!) So I try and take full advantage of the cooler weather. I tend to be a bit overzealous with my fall cooking in the beginning of the season... the lucky people who live and work near me get to benefit from this enthusiasm. Soup recipes make a lot of food, and I love handing out portions of my creations!

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Butternut Squash Soup

My preferred serving style: topped with reduced-fat sour cream, sunflower seeds, and served with a side of cornbread. 5 P+ per serving (plain), 11 P+ when served as suggested.

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Crock Pot Turkey and White Bean Pumpkin Chili

 

My preferred serving style: 2 servings poured over 1/2 cup of brown rice and topped with reduced-fat sour cream. 3 P+ per serving, 10 P+ when served as suggested.

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Low Fat Creamy Potato Soup

My preferred serving style: topped with scallions, cheese, and bacon bits. Sour cream would be good too, but this soup is pretty creamy by itself! 5 P+ when served as suggested.

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Thyme and Vegetable Lamb Stew

My preferred serving style: as-is! This soup is delicious as-prepared. 6 P+ as-prepared.

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Of course, making soup requires some very sophisticated kitchen tools. Not really, but here are some of my kitchen must-have's for these recipes.

- Immersion Blender (I got mine at Wal-Mart)

- Slow-Cooker

- Good cutting boards in a variety of sizes

- Calphalon Contemporary Knives
Now go, make these Fall recipes and let me know how they turn out! What are some of your favorite Fall recipes?

Mushroom Mac and Cheese - Lightened Up

I really enjoy cooking simple, healthy recipes... and I have quite a few in my repertoire.

One of my favorite (unhealthy) things to make is homemade macaroni and cheese, and I do admit I am pretty good at it... I think the lightened up version is good as well! I was craving some comfort food tonight and had all the fixin's, so I decided to make a mushroom version of lightened up mac and cheese. I must admit, this is one of the best recipes I have made - ever. While I fly by the seat of my pants in the kitchen and don't usually follow recipes, I will try and recreate this so you can try it at home!

This recipe is for one large serving... This recipe would also make a good sized portion as a side dish for two. I cooked everything in 'stages' in one medium sized pot.

1.5 Servings - Ronzoni Smart Taste Elbows
2 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh Mushrooms, diced
Dash of olive oil
1 tbsp light butter
1 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 c. skim milk
Pinch of red pepper
Pinch of dry mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
2 oz. low-fat sharp cheddar cheese

Stage 1:

Cook pasta and drain. Set aside.

Stage 2:

Saute garlic and diced mushrooms in a small amount of olive oil on medium heat until cooked through. About 5 minutes. Set aside.

Stage 3:

Melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and combine. Cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Add skim milk. Cook over medium heat until it comes to a low boil, stirring constantly. Sauce will begin to thicken. If it doesn't, add more flour as needed. If it is too thick, add more milk as needed.

Add cooked mushrooms and garlic, stirring well. Add cheese and stir until melted. Add salt, pepper, red pepper, and dry mustard to taste.

Put cooked pasta in to sauce and combine until pasta is completely coated.

Stage 4:

Serve immediately and enjoy!

This is a really easy and filling recipe. I calculated 13 Weight Watchers Points Plus - you definitely get your 'bang for your buck' with this macaroni and cheese. It tastes really bad, but you are using lightened up ingredients!!

Let me know if you end up recreating and how you like it! There is enough sauce that comes out of this recipe, you could add additional veggies such as broccoli or asparagus, or add more pasta.