Crush on You: Falling for Autumn

There are people out there who just love fall. They excitedly break out their pumpkin spice candles and chunky knit sweaters at the first hint of waning daylight hours and cooler temperatures. As soon as the leaves begin their transition from green to gold, these same people start planning leaf peeping adventures in New Hampshire or Maine. Maybe you're reading this, sipping a pumpkin ale, and nodding happily along, "Mmmm, I love fall!" I am not one of those people. I've always thought of fall as a cold prelude to a frigid winter; and I hate winter.

This year, however, I'm attempting to appreciate the season. I have been indulging in my share of pumpkin flavored goodies; lattes, pancakes, muffins and beers (in moderation, of course, because they're heavy in Points Plus Values). I've made a concerted effort to appreciate the beauty of the foliage, and I've enjoyed sleeping with the windows open just a crack to let in the cool, crisp autumn air. Sure winter's on its way, but there's no need to focus on that now.

All pumpkin everything!

There are a handful of quintessential New England fall activities that I've never taken part in- ranging from raking leaves and falling into the pile, to corn mazes and hayrides. I'm still suffering from back pain so I'll have to forgo the leaves this year. Instead, I decided to embrace the season by embarking upon my first apple picking adventure. It seemed like a great way to get outside and earn some Activity Points while crossing something off my autumn bucket list. I also figured having some apples around might inspire me to eat more fruit. That plan sort of backfired though. While I did eat a lot of apples in the week after picking them, they were consumed in pies.

A good friend of mine heads out the Barden Family Orchard in North Scituate each fall for apples, and this year Luke and I tagged along. I have nothing to compare the experience with, but I thought the Barden Orchard was great. They have a small storefront called the Farm Market where one can purchase a number of goods including: apples, pumpkins, apple cider (made onsite) other fruits/vegetables, butters and jams. We waited in a short line to purchase a $30 picking bag, and then set off to explore the orchard and fill it up.

There were more varieties of apples at Barden Family Orchard than I knew existed! Among the varieties still hanging when we visited were Cortland, Crispin, Empire, Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Macoun, McIntosh and Red Delicious. I've never been a huge fan of apples, but I discovered that I really like Gala apples! Luke had been most excited to get his hands on some Honey Crisp apples, but it seems we were too late in the season to pick those ourselves. He did find some in the Farm Market, though, and bought one for the ride home.

What are your favorite fall pastimes? Apple picking was fun, and it's something I look forward to doing again next year; it's my new seasonal crush! Next time I'd like to go late enough in the season that we could pick some raspberries too. Look at me, looking forward to next fall?! Now, let me give you something to look forward to- a delicious soup recipe.

Curried Pumpkin-Apple Soup

Servings: 5 Serving Size: 1 and 1/2 cups Points Plus*: 5 pts (adapted from Skinnytaste)

Ingredients

1 tbsp Olive oil
1 cup Diced onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup Carrots, diced or shredded 
1 large Apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
1/2 tsp Roasted cumin
2 tsp Garam masala
2 tsp Curry powder
4 cups Fat free, low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 can Light coconut milk (14.5 oz)
2 cups Solidly packed pumpkin mash or canned pumpkin
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions 

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. When hot, add onions and garlic and sauté on low heat for 1-2 minutes before adding carrots and apple. Continue cooking until onions are clear- about 8 minutes.

Add roasted cumin, masala and curry powder. Mix well, cooking another minute. Add the broth, coconut milk, and pumpkin mash. Add a dash of salt and pepper.

Cover and cook for 20 - 25 minutes.

Puree the soup until smooth with either an immersion blender or in food processor/blender. If using a food processor/blender, return to soup pot and simmer for another 2 minutes. Taste- adjusting spices as needed. Serve hot.

Serving Suggestions:
Serve with garlic naan to turn this bowl of Indian-spiced soup into a meal.


*PointsPlus values calculated using the Recipe Builder on the Weight Watchers website