Happy Autumn!

So here in Austin, we tend to have summer, then a little bit of fall and winter, then summer again. But it’s 57 degrees outside at 10:40 in the morning, so I’m officially calling it Autumn. I love, love, love the fall…I wish we had more of it here.

I bought my first little pumpkin, and a huge gourd to guard the doorway, and I set up orange twinkle lights, jars of candy corn, and numerous pumpkins in the living room to celebrate fall. I knew it was coming! And today, it’s here. I’m wearing socks and shoes. It’s cold enough to wear socks.

Anyway, I thought I’d share this wonderful pumpkin soup recipe with you all. I made it a few days ago as my first autumn recipe, much to the delight of my husband. This is one of his favorite soups. It’s amazingly easy and full of flavor.

Also, an update on the Pantry Project: It was a little difficult to do with our computer down, since my extensive list was saved as a Word document. I was able to use up a few things, but I am realizing that this project is just a good reason for me to trot down to Whole Foods every day and pick out scrumptious foods. Today I plan on looking through my list and poking around in my cabinets to find something to use up in an autumn-y soup or stew or baked dish. Baked dishes! Oh, to have baked dishes again, without heating the house up to unbearable temperatures! Did I mention I love the fall?

And the final part of this autumnal post is a link to my husband’s 4 1/2 minute horror flick, Harvest. He and a few friends had 48 hours to make a horror film, with an assigned sub-genre (Nature Strikes Back), prop (pancakes), line of dialogue (“What does chicken have to do with it?”), and weapon (something very heavy). They were given this information at 7:30 on Friday night, and had until 7:30 on Sunday night to write, film, and edit the movie. They had a lot of fun, and hopefully you’ll have fun watching it!

Anyway, on to the food!

Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablepoon butter
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) vegetable broth
  • 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
  • 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • Coarse salt, to taste

Heat a deep pot over medium heat. Add oil and butter. When butter melts, add onion and saute, 5 minutes, until tender. Add broth, tomatoes, black beans, and pumpkin. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and stir in cream, curry powder, cumin, cayenne, and salt. Simmer 5 minutes, adjust seasonings and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Veggie Meals by Rachael Ray.

6 responses to “Happy Autumn!”

  1. Hey there, I wandered onto your blog from another food blog, and I’m so glad I did. I’ve read just about everything you’ve posted since you started. You’ve got a real talent for writing. Oh, and I’ve blog-rolled you. Hope you don’t mind.

    Anyway, loved this post. I live in upstate NY, where we usually get glorious fall weather, and fall colors too. This year, we’ve had October days in the 80s, which is really unusual. I love pumpkin anything, in fact, I made pumpkin cookies this morning, and I’m definitely going to try your soup recipe. Thanks for sharing it. I’ll definitely be back.

  2. Wow…thanks, Kristi! I’m blushing…Oh, someday I want to visit the Northeast during the fall! Anyway, thanks so much, and now I’m off to your site…

  3. Love pumpkins and beans..combined into soup must be very yummy. I will give it a go.I love your blog.

  4. This pumpkin soup sounds amazing. It’s definitely going on my to-try list.

    Also, I’ve been thinking about your Pantry Project. I think you should turn this into a food blog event or meme or challenge or something. I think it’s something that a lot of people would be interested in trying.

  5. Neat film what a fun thing to do.

    I’m loving the change of weather too.

  6. Nice pic. I’ve have to tuck away the recipe to try. I’m always up for a new black bean recipe.

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