A Fallish Sort of Dinner

Fall makes me crave soup. It's just such a warm, comforting, cozy sort of thing to eat when it's cold outside!

Coconut Pumpkin Spice Soup

Fried Snapper Sandwiches with Semi-Homemade Tartar Sauce

Pina Colada Smoothies

The pumpkin soup was a random combination of the following recipes:

Coconut Pumpkin Soup with Curried Pecans
Curried Pumpkin Soup with Wine and Pears
City Tavern Pumpkin Soup with Mace and Syrup

Basically, I just made it out of whatever I felt like and whatever I had on hand. : ) And why would I just follow a single recipe, when I can draw my favorite elements from several recipes? ;D

2 small pumpkins, peeled and cubed, simmered in 2 quarts of organic vegetable broth
2 onions sauteed in a few tablespoons of butter
I ran the pumpkins and onions through the food processor briefly to make the soup creamier and smoother
A little maple syrup, grated nutmeg, curry powder, cloves, cayenne pepper, and salt
I added a tiny bit of whole wheat flour to thicken things up a bit, organic coconut milk, and then some organic cream.

The snapper was rolled in beaten eggs, and then a combination of whole wheat flour, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and salt. And fried in coconut oil. Yum!

For the tartar sauce, I took our safflower oil mayonnaise, chopped up some organic dill peppers and added some raw honey and salt. It tasted very authentic! I'd really love to start making our own olive oil mayonnaise, but ... I just haven't done it yet.

Tait made the pina colada smoothies out of fresh pineapple, organic coconut milk, maple syrup, and ice. The smoothies definitely detracted from the fallishness of the meal, but they were worth it. : ) Delicious!

I think the meal passed inspection. ; )

"Food!!!"

Dessert for Breakfast?

It's a little unusual for us. But there was some pie crust leftover from the chicken pot pies I made yesterday, so it was easy to throw some apples, maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and a quick oatmeal crumb topping together for an apple breakfast. (Besides, I'll admit, I've been craving a pie for quite awhile!) I'd share the recipe, but I didn't use one or measure anything. It was yummy though, with some raw cream over the top!