Autumn Archives | Fake Food Free

The Simplest Butternut Squash Soup

November 14, 2018

This is the absolute simplest way to make butternut squash soup if you want a version that is full of slow-roasted flavor and more savory than sweet.

I thought I was tired of butternut squash soups. Maybe you are, too. I’ve had quite a few winter squash soups on the blog. But I needed something really simple for lunch. I felt a little bad that the season for the soup had just begun and I’d already hit my limit. I thought I should give it another try.

The catch was that I didn’t want to do any chopping or dicing. I also didn’t want to pour one out of a tetra pak and heat it up. And it couldn’t be too sweet. I think that is sort of the turn-off with squash soups. When other ingredients like apple, onion, and dairy are added, they tend to end up super sweet. It has its place, but I wasn’t in the mood for it.

So I came up with this version. No frills. It uses slow-roasted squash (see the easy instructions below), and it is creamy, savory and a touch spicy versus sweet. It’s the soup to add as a starter course for a holiday day dinner because it’s so hands off and easy to make.

Roasted Garlic, Pear and Pork Ravioli

October 17, 2017

Switch things up this holiday season with a hearty pear and pork ravioli filled with rustic autumn flavors!

Thanks to Nugget Markets for sponsoring this post!

Sometimes I feel bad for pears.

They are the underdog of fall ingredients. As soon as temperatures begin to dip, apples are all the rage. The leaves start turning and we simply cannot hide our affection for winter squash.

Meanwhile, there sit the pears. Beautiful in their green, reddish-brown, and tan fall colors, but second place to the front row attention-seekers.

I’m not sure why I turn to apples and pumpkins over pears, but more often than not, I do. Guilty.

So when Nugget Markets gave me the opportunity to do a fall-inspired post, an alternative to the traditional holiday meal, I set my sights on pears. At the very least, I owe the fruit some time in the spotlight.

Brown Butter Bourbon Butternut Squash Soup

October 5, 2017

I know what you might be thinking. Another butternut squash soup recipe? Aren’t there enough of those?

Honestly, I was thinking the same then when I started making this.

I love winter squash soup this time of year, but I’ll be the first to admit that I get bored of the flavor. I stepped it up by adding scotch bonnet pepper a long while back, but I wasn’t in the mood for that. I also didn’t want it to become sweet. Savory butternut squash soups are the best, in my opinion.

I finally settled on brown butter.

Roasted Cranberries with Greens

October 29, 2015

Every year, I go to the grocery store mid-October and ask if they have fresh cranberries. Every year the hard working person in the produce section tells me that they don’t come in until mid-November. So last week my expectations were low, but I had my eye out anyway.

When I turned to find a pile of bags front and center in the lettuce row, I’m certain my cheer carried itself to the freezer section across the store.

Rumor has it the season arrived earlier this year. As a result, it will end earlier to. So stock up. I’ve already started.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Pear and Red Walnuts

October 7, 2015

This butternut squash dish is not sweet. I repeat, this dish is not sweet.

If you are like me, no matter how many versions of winter squash you’ve made or been exposed to, your brain still thinks of nutmeg, cinnamon and maybe even maple, when you envision the rich, orange, tender squash.

Okay, I’ll admit that this does contain cinnamon. But cinnamon is one of those interesting spices that can swing sweet or savory. It this case, it’s savory.

The secret to this recipe is some heat. You don’t have to burn your mouth off, but use at least a medium spicy chili powder. I could even see a chipotle chili powder working. When you use these deeply flavored spices you get a beautiful balance of slightly sweet squash, with earthy pear, a bit of heat and crunchy walnuts.

Roasted Maple and Black Pepper Kabocha

September 9, 2015

If you are going to try and tell me it’s not fall yet, well, I don’t want to hear it.

Yes, I know the calendar tells us it’s not until the 23rd, but pay no attention to the calendar. It’s always trying to rain on my parade by conflicting with my view of the seasons.

It may be warm outside, but Labor Day is over and to me, it’s fall! Sweaters, boots, and scarves will soon be completely acceptable.

Bosc Pear, Walnut and Gorgonzola Holiday Stuffing

October 27, 2014

Add a twist to your holiday stuffing! This recipe takes my favorite combo of pears, walnuts and Gorgonzola and turns them into a delicious version of one of my favorite holiday sides.

Friends of ours hosted a Thanksgiving potluck and I was put on the stuffing list. Since mine was stuffing number 2 at the dinner and stuffing number 1 was straight up traditional, I was given free reign to get creative. So I volunteered to bring this.

I made this recipe before…in 2009! 2009?! To be honest with you, I can’t believe I’ve been blogging that long. But there that post sits, with some pretty ugly photos and in need of some revision.

Fall Salad with Molasses Balsamic Vinaigrette

October 16, 2014

This fall salad is loaded with seasonal fruits and topped with candied pecans and blue cheese. The rich molasses balsamic vinaigrette has a mild spice from cayenne pepper.

I have the strangest pattern for salad cravings. For some reason throughout the end of the summer, despite all the light and refreshing produce, salads did not sound good at all. But all of a sudden fall hits and I’m ready for some leafy greens.

Maybe it’s the seasonal fruits like grapes or the heavier toppings like blue cheese that make fall salads surprisingly comforting. That must be why my cravings have finally come around, especially since the temperatures dropped a bit today and the leaves are starting to fall.

Pumpkin White Bean Dip with Cheddar and Jalapeños Recipe

October 6, 2014

This savory pumpkin recipe combines the puréed winter squash with white beans to create a warm dip with the rich flavors of sharp cheddar cheese and a mild heat from pickled jalapeños. It’s the perfect starter for fall dinner parties and makes a great snack for game day.

I’ve already started on my 2014 Winter Squash Collection. The first one, usually a pie pumpkin, enters the house in late September or early October. After that it’s a spaghetti squash here, a kabocha there and I can’t turn down a new variety. They begin to pile up in the corners of the kitchen or on the cool tile in the entry way. I keep them until: 1) I’m hungry for squash, or 2) we get frustrated from tripping over them. At that point, into the oven they go to be roasted and turned into puree.

The small pie pumpkin I bought last week bit the dust pretty early. Half a week into October and I was way overdue for something pumpkin.

Sorghum Pomegranate Salad with Goat Cheese and Walnuts Recipe

September 8, 2014

Switch up your cold grain salads and add some sorghum! In this recipe, the chewy grain is combined with pomegranate and walnuts, and then topped off with tangy goat cheese.

I was cooling down from my run last week, taking a nice leisurely walk back to the house, when I saw it. Tucked between two houses was a tree with long branches that were bending under the weight of beautiful red pomegranates.

I see fruit trees around here all the time – figs, citrus, persimmons – and while I’ve seen a pomegranate tree before, I had never seen one in our neighborhood. It was gorgeous.

And I want some!

When I see trees loaded with fruit that seem to be untouched I am so tempted to knock on the door and ask if the owners are going to use the fruit. But I have never gotten up the courage. Then again, the stakes have never been quite this high. A pomegranate might be just enough to get me out of my comfort zone.

So here is the plan. I’m going to watch the tree for the next few weeks and if none of the fruit disappears, I’m doing it. I’m going to walk up and ring the doorbell.

I think. Maybe.