The author of one of my favorite blogs Vanilla Garlic, listed to the right under Cool Food Blogs, posted this fantastic recipe for Garbanzo Garlic Soup that I just had to try. Part of the appeal of this soup is that it is a “pantry-scraper,” to borrow the phrase, meaning hopefully you have all the ingredients on hand like garlic, onion, chicken broth, thyme, and garbanzo beans (fortunately, I’m really into chick peas right now, so I did have everything!). It was delicious and perfect for autumn.

To view the recipe, please visit the blog by clicking here.

Want a quick and tasty dessert perfect for those in-between days of summer and autumn? Try these easy, build-your-own sundaes and customize them to your liking. My toppings are only suggestions.

vanilla ice cream
apple pie filling
caramel flavored sauce or syrup
chopped nut topping

Warm apple pie filling over low heat for 5-10 minutes. Serve over vanilla ice cream and top with syrup (I like Hersey’s Dulce de Leche). Sprinkle with chopped nuts and enjoy!

Here is Turmeric-mania Recipe #6! This comes from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast and uses fresh carrots and chicken broth to make a sweet, spicy, and rich soup (no cream or milk required). Because the recipe makes such a large batch of soup, I froze half of it to save for the first snowfall, which here in Michigan could be next week, next month, or next new year. Appropriately enough, this soup is featured in the Winter section of the book, but is great for a chilly Autumn evening as well. Like Curried Zucchini Soup, this can also be chilled and served cold.

2 tbsp butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp curry powder
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth (about 3 1/3 cups)
2 lbs carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 to 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)

Melt butter in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, curry powder, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the broth, carrots, and 3 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.

In a blender, puree the soup in batches until smooth. Hot liquids will expand when blended, so be careful not to fill the jar of the blender more than halfway. To prevent the liquid from spattering, allow the heat to escape by removing the cap from the hold in the lid and cover the lid with a dish towel when blending.

Transfer the pureed soup to a clean saucepan. Add more water or chicken broth to thin to desired consistency. Reheat over low, if necessary. Stir in lemon juice. Serve garnished with cilantro, if desired.

Saute onions in butter:

Add carrots and simmer:

Puree and serve, here topped with fresh ground pepper:

This recipe originally appears as Onion-Apple Glazed Pork Tenderloin from the Lipton cook book, and here is my updated version. I added fresh onion and sage, instead of the soup mixture, and also added lots and lots of mushrooms. As apples come in season, I will probably add some fresh apples instead of using juice.

1 (1 1/2 to 2 lb) pork tenderloin
2 tbsp olive oil
ground black pepper
2 pkg (8 oz each) whole mushrooms, rinsed
1-2 sprigs fresh sage
1/2 yellow or Vidalia onion, roughly chopped
1 cup apple juice

Preheat oven to 425F

In a small roasting pan, arrange pork. Season with pepper and rub with 1 tbsp oil. Arrange mushrooms around pork and drizzle with remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and toss. Sprinkle with sage leaves and chopped onions. Roast uncovered for 15 minutes.

Add apple juice to pan, pouring over pork and mushrooms. Cook an additional 10-15 minutes, until pork is done. Serve with drizzle of juice from pan.

Let’s keep this on a roll with Turmeric-mania Recipe #5! Here is an interesting update to classic mashed potatoes from Cooking Light magazine, using Yukon gold potatoes with mustard seed, maple syrup, and turmeric, of course. Try pairing these potatoes with steak or pork tenderloin in place of plain potatoes.

2 1/2 lb Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and quartered 
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp mustard seed
1 cup fat-free milk  
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmer 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain and return potatoes to the pan.

While potatoes cook, heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add mustard seeds and cook 2 minutes or until seeds begin to pop. Add milk, syrup, and turmeric, simmer until reduced to about 1/2 cup (about 10 minutes). Add milk mixture, salt and pepper to potatoes and mash with potato masher or electric mixture to desired consistency. Serve immediately.