Fall French Onion Soup

4 large onions, thinly sliced

2 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and chopped
1/2 cup butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups apple cider
2 tablespoons brandy (optional)
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 cup shredded Gouda cheese
6 French bread

Set a slow cooker on Low, and put in half of the butter to melt. Add the onions and apples; cover and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours.

After the cooking time is up and apples and onions are soft, pour in the brandy, chicken broth and apple cider. Set the slow cooker to High and cook for 1 to 2 hours, until simmering.

Preheat the oven broiler. Mix together the cinnamon, sugar and remaining butter. Spread onto one side of each slice of bread. Place bread cinnamon side up on a baking sheet, and broil until toasted, about 3 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip the slices over so the cinnamon is on the bottom. Sprinkle Gouda cheese on the top and return to the broiler until the cheese is melted.

Ladle soup into serving bowls and top with slices of toast, cheese side up to serve.

Thick Vegan Carrot Soup

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 large carrots, sliced
5 new potatoes, quartered
2 cups vegetable broth (3 cups for thinner soup)
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon curry powder
salt and pepper to taste


Heat oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook stirring often until onion is translucent. Add carrots and potatoes, and cook for just a few minutes to allow the carrots to sweat out some of their juices.

Pour the vegetable broth into the pot, and season with ginger, curry powder, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until carrots are tender.

Puree soup in small batches using a food processor or blender, or if you have an immersion blender, it can be done in the soup pot. Reheat soup if necessary, and serve.

Red Lentil Soup with a Spicy Sizzle

6 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
2 each onions chopped (1 1/2 cups)
3 cloves garlic minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
8 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups red lentils rinsed
1/3 cup bulgur
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 each bay leaf
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper


Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cumin; cook for 1 minute. Add broth, lentils, bulgur, tomato paste and bay leaf; bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Cover and cook over low heat until the lentils and bulgur are very tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaf.

Ladle about 4 cups of the soup into a food processor and puree. Return the pureed soup to the soup pot and heat through. Stir in lemon juice and season with pepper.

Just before serving, ladle the soup into bowls. Heat the remaining 4 teaspoons oil in a small skillet and stir in paprika and cayenne. Drizzle about 1/2 teaspoon of the sizzling spice mixture over each bowlful and serve immediately.

Sweet Potato Minestrone

1 Tsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 large stalks celery, chopped
2 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1 (28 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes
5 cups vegetable broth
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 large carrots, sliced thin
6 oz green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
5 cloves garlic, minced

Heat oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Saute onion, celery, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, with the juice, broth, sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans and garlic. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

Vegetarian Stew

1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 parsnip, chopped
1 turnip, chopped
1/4 cup uncooked white rice
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups water


In a large pot over medium-high heat, combine onion, carrots, potatoes, parsnip, turnip, rice, pepper, cumin, salt and water. Boil until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes, adding more water if necessary.

Curried Pumpkin Soup

4 Macintosh apples: peeled, cored and chopped
1 Tbs butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbs curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup water


Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, curry, and cumin; saute, stirring often, until onion is soft and fragrant.

Stir in apples, pumpkin, broth, and water. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Puree soup in a food processor or a blender, in small batches.

Return soup to saucepan; reheat, covered, over low heat.

Butternut and Acorn Squash Soup

1 butternut squash, halved and seeded
1 acorn squash, halved and seeded
3 Tbs butter
1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
1 quart chicken broth
3 Tbs packed brown sugar
1/2 (4 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
dash of ginger
curry powder to taste
fresh parsley, for garnish


Preheat oven to 350° F. Place the squash halves cut side down in a baking dish. Bake 45 minutes, or until tender. Remove from heat, and cool slightly. Scoop the pulp from the skins. Discard skins.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, and saute the onion until tender.

In a blender or food processor, blend the squash pulp, onion, broth, brown sugar, cream cheese, pepper, and cinnamon until smooth. Do this in small batches!

Transfer the soup to a pot over medium heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Garnish with parsley, and serve warm.

Cheesy Vegetable Soup

1 Tbs olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped onion
5 potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups chopped carrots
6 cups milk
2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans condensed cream of Cheddar cheese soup
2 Tbs flour
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup frozen green peas
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 cup broccoli florets
salt and pepper to taste


In a large skillet over medium high heat, combine the olive oil, garlic to taste, and onions. Saute for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are tender. Remove from heat and reserve for later.

In a large pot over high heat, combine the potatoes and carrots and add water to cover. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender. Drain the water and add the milk. Continue to cook over low heat until milk starts to simmer.

Stir in the cheese soup, then stir in the flour slowly, until mixed. Add 1 1/2 cups of the cheese, the reserved onion mixture, peas, corn and broccoli and heat through. Garnish with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.

Wild Rice Soup

1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
3 Tbs butter
1 onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
3 Tbs all-purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 (10.75 ounce) can chicken broth
2 cups milk
2 cups diced chicken


Prepare rice according to package directions.

Melt the butter or margarine in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, or until almost tender.

Stir in the four and salt and pepper to taste. Add the broth and milk and stir until soup thickens.
Add the rice and the chicken and allow to heat through, about 10 minutes.

Harvest Pumpkin Soup

2 small sugar pumpkin (or canned pumpkin)
3 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground sage
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbs sour cream


Preheat oven to 400° F. Cut pumpkins in half and scoop out seeds. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Place pumpkins, flesh side down on the cookie sheet and roast until soft to the touch, about 45 minutes. Remove pumpkins from oven and let cool. Once pumpkins are cool scrape flesh from skins into a food processor. Discard skins.

Add chicken stock to the pumpkin and puree. Pour soup into a large saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in cream, nutmeg, sage and salt. Mix well and remove from heat. Serve garnished with a dollop of sour cream.

Fall Harvest Soup

1 (29 ounce) can solid-pack pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 (14.75 ounce) can creamed corn
1 cup 2% low-fat milk
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1/2 cup apple cider
1/2 cup water
2 tsp butter
1/8 tsp ground mace
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup frozen corn, thawed


Combine the pumpkin and creamed corn in a blender; pulse to puree the mixture for 1 minute or until smooth. Add the milk and continue to pulse the mixture for another minute, or until well combined. Pour pumpkin mixture into a 3 to 4 quart saucepan over medium heat.

Immediately stir in the broth, apple cider, water, butter, and ground mace. Heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Salt and pepper to taste. Add thawed corn kernels and cook for an additional 5 minutes.