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We have a new soup to add to our Fall Menu.  Our family has a thing about soups. We’re ever so slightly, but not enough to be hospitalized, certifiably, and rather proudly-obsessed with soups.  Just follow this blog over the fall and winter and it will speak for us.

I found this recipe in a new cookbook.  Besides the obvious draw of being a soup, it also called for both sweet and white potatoes, which were sitting together in our csa basket as I flipped through the cookbook.  The combination of vegetables and flavors was new to me but I’m happy to report, a zinging success.  An excellent first fall dish of the season and not just loved by my own stomach, but by a handful of voices around the table shouting, “Let’s add this to the fall menu!”

Chicken, Potato, and Black Bean Soup
serves 6

• 4 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 4 medium-size russet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 medium-size sweet potato, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 cups chicken cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 medium-size onion, finely chopped
• 2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
• 2 tsps dried oregano
• 2 tsps ground cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried sage
• 2 tbs seeded and diced green chiles(optional)
• 15 ounce can black beans, undrained
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• Sour cream and taco chips

1. Bring broth and water to boil in a soup pot; add potatoes and boil ten minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken and cook until it turns opaque. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring a few times, until vegetables are soft.  Add oregano, cumin, cayenne, sage, and green chiles.  Stir to combine and cook 1 to 2 minutes longer.
3. Add mixture from skillet into soup with boiling potatoes. Reduce heat to medium and add black beans including liquid in the can.  Simmer soup until potatoes are tender.  If soup get too thick, you can add another 1 to 2 cups brother later to cooking time.
4. When potatoes are done, stir in lime juice.  Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot with sour cream and taco chips.

Notes: Next time I won’t use two pans.  I can’t see any reason not to go ahead and do step 2 in the soup pot, and then add the broth, water, and potatoes and continue on with the recipe.  I also think you can cook the onions and herbs right when the chicken starts cooking, not after.  I skipped the celery, green chiles, and cayenne(we have mild palates at our house), but next time I’ll throw in a can of green chiles.  I also added more cumin and sage to enhance the flavor.  The rest of the fam enjoyed the sour cream, but I didn’t miss it in my dairy free bowl.  We topped our soup with Trader Joe’s Vegetable and Flaxseed Tortilla chips-great color and taste.  Don’t skip the lime juice.

The cookbook: The recipe came from Family Feasts for $75 a Week by Mary Osten. I’ve read several books in this genre and even though they usually have good tips for cutting costs on the food bill, I haven’t found them to be a mecca of good recipes. Hence, my surprise when I found myself salivating as I flipped the the recipes in Osten’s book.  With a family of six and one income, I’m looking for ways to save money.  But we also like quality, fresh, flavorful, healthy food and usually those elements are sacrificed in cost-cutting books. But in Family Feasts, she uses fresh vegetables, non-processed foods, and the recipes read like ones found in my other cookbooks.  Atleast, I hope so, since this is the first recipe I’ve made.  (side note: I was chagrined to find the customary salmon and tuna chowder recipes, but I’m not going to let that hold me back from the 198 other recipes and cost-cutting information)

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If I look long enough I can see the leaves revealing their true colors: rusty reds and vibrant orange loveliness.  To some people they may still look green, but the butternut squash and sweet potatoes in my farmer’s basket tell me that change is very near. And so begins my favorite season of colors, weather, and food.

My friend had the great idea to create a fall menu with her family.  She explains more on her blog, but I’ll tell you why our family got inspired and created our own Fall Menu.

Our family has been part of the local csa for almost 4 years now. We’ve gotten used to(and come to love) eating by the season. Grilled zucchini in the heat of summer, strawberry pie at the end of spring, and apple crisp on the cusp of fall and winter.  It makes each season of food fresh and exciting, it builds anticipation for the dishes we love. Distance makes the heart grow fonder right? (in this case the distance is measured in months).

Now that we are a family of 6, there are many favorites amongst the crew.  One sister’s favorite is another brother’s dreaded dish(take black beans and rice for instance).  When we created our fall menu each of us contributed 2-3 ideas to each category. Now atleast they can be assured that when their least favorite hits the menu list, there’s bound to be something scrumptious in a day or two.  It also gives me a spring board of recipes for menu planning each week, rather than starting with a blank slate. Each week I’ll take a handful of recipes from the fall menu, along with some leftovers and some new fall dishes to try.  It was fun listening to the suggestions in our brainstorming session today.  Not so surprisingly they were very good at coming up with fall treats.  Surprisingly, everyone wanted butternut squash lasagna on the list.  The only drawback is the dishes I’ll be passing up in my current dairy free diet-well, maybe a few nibbles of the lasagna.

Here’s what has made the list so far:

Breakfast

• Pumpkin Muffins
• Apple Muffins
• Pumpkin Waffles/Pancakes
• Cinnamon Scones
• Baked Apple Oatmeal
• Grits with Apples Sausage

Main Dishes

• Pumpkin Soup
• Butternut Squash Soup
• Tuscan Soup
• Chicken Noodle Soup
• Harvest Chili
• Beef Stew
• Meatloaf
• Crockpot Roast
• Butternut Squash Lasagna
• Apple Porkchops
• Chicken Apple Tacos
• Lentil Tacos

Sides

• Baked Sweet Potatoes
• Sweet Potato Fries
• Sweet Potato Biscuits
• Cranberry Sauce
• Harvest Grains with vegetables
• Baked Apples
• Roasted Veggies
• Carrots(soufflé or sauté)
• Orzo with carrots and peas

Breads

Cranberry Bread

Desserts

• Pumpkin Pie
• Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Apple Cake
• Apple Pie
• Cranberry/Apple Crisp
• Pumpkin Bars

Let the feast begin.  Thanks, Wordgirl, for the inspiring idea.

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