10 Healthy Autumn Recipes

Comfy, cozy meals that will fill you up without weighing you down.

By Janice Taylor

As the temperature cools down, and the leaves turn from green to orange, red and yellow, my kitchen comes alive. The pots and pans start humming, and sweet, tart, and tasty aromas fill the air promising and delivering great comfort. Autumn is time to cozy up.

Here are my favorite warm, healthy, filling, and comforting autumn recipes, which by the way, are all Our Lady of Weight Loss approved. I'm determined to keep those 50 pounds that I lost seven years ago LOST! I don't plan on finding them anytime soon, no matter how much comfort food I crave.

My autumn mantra is: cozy, comfy...and healthy. Bon appétit!

Read the first recipe.

Janice Taylor is the author of the "Our Lady of Weight Loss" blog on Beliefnet, and the book, "All is Forgiven, Move On."

Leeky Chicken Soup

A twist on the traditional, I call this "Grandma's New Age Penicillin."

Fun Factoid: Hippocrates, the father of medicine, prescribed the leek as a cure for nosebleeds.

Serves 6

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
10 medium leeks, trimmed, sliced, and well-washed (approx. 2 cups)
2 large baking potatoes, grated
2 medium carrots, grated
1 bunch parsley, chopped
8 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth (There are some great brands now that are organic and low-sodium.)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a 6-quart pot over medium heat.
Add the leeks, potatoes and carrots.
Sauté until softened, 5 to 10 minutes. (If you feel that you need more oil, try adding a bit of water instead.)
Add the parsley, broth, salt, and pepper.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered for about 40 minutes or until tender.

Baked Mushrooms Filled with Spinach and Blue Cheese

This fabulous side dish is sheer decadence with a powerful Popeye spinach punch.

Fun Factoid: Popeye has been entertaining us since 1929. This spinach-loving character was created by Elzie Crisler Segar, who introduced Popeye into his newspaper comic strip called Thimble Theater.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
4 large mushrooms, stems removed
3 shallots, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups spinach
2 ounces creamy blue cheese, diced
3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
Ground pepper to taste

Instructions:

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
Put the mushrooms in a baking dish, gill-side up.
Fry shallots in oil for 2 or 3 minutes, then add spinach and toss until it wilts (about 2 or 3 minutes).
Stir in the blue cheese and watch it melt.
Add the breadcrumbs, then season with pepper.
Spoon the mixture onto the mushroom caps, then put the baking dish back into the oven until the mushrooms are tender and the filling is golden.

Leeks, Walnuts, and Goat Cheese Pasta

As long as we've got leeks on the shopping list, might as well whip up a delightful and different pasta dish!

Fun Factoid: The female dairy goat is a doe; the male, a buck; the young, kids; and a castrated male, a wether.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 lb. penne
1 tablespoon butter
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 large leeks, chopped
White wine, two splashes
3 oz. goat cheese
1/3 cup walnuts, shelled chopped into pieces
Parsley leaves

Instructions:

Place penne is large pot of boiling salted water and cook. (I know you know how to make pasta!)
In a large saucepan, melt the butter.
Add garlic and leeks, sauté for 4 to 5 minutes.
Splash in the white wine.
Cook until the wine has reduced.
Add to cooked, drained pasta.
Crumble in goat cheese and the walnuts.
Give it a good stir and garnish with parsley (if you like).

Pumpkin-White Bean Soup

A fun and easy starter that you can make now and for your Halloween dinner. Costumes are optional (now and at Halloween!), but highly recommended.

Fun Factoid: Pumpkins were once recommended for removing freckles and curing snake bites.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 large Vidalia onion, coarsely chopped
1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin
3 1/2 cups fat-free or low-fat chicken broth
1 (15 1/2 oz) can of white beans, rinsed and drained
Pinch of pumpkin pie spice
Salt and pepper to taste.

Instructions:

Coat a large soup pot with olive oil and set over medium-low heat.
Add onion, cover, and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.
Stir in pumpkin, broth, beans, and pumpkin pie spice; simmer 10 minutes.
In a blender, process soup in batches until smooth.
Return soup to pot and reheat; season with salt and pepper.

Righteous Ratatouille

A soul-warming, guilt-free, gastronomical gift from on high.

Fun Factoid: 98% of the world's olive oil comes from the Mediterranean region, which has a 6,000-year history of olive tree cultivation.

Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
2 small eggplants, cubed (about 2 cups)
1 small zucchini, cubed (about 1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb. whole wheat spiral pasta

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a 4-quart sauce pot over medium heat.
Add both the red and yellow peppers and sauté for another couple of minutes. Toss in the eggplant cubes and cook a couple more minutes.
Add the zucchini, garlic, bay leaf, and oregano.
Add the tomatoes and simmer for 40 minutes, uncovered.
Boil and drain the whole wheat spiral pasta.
Serve ratatouille over pasta, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

No Excuses Garlic Chicken

There's no excuse not to enjoy this easy, fabulous garlicky chicken dish!

Fun Factoid: Chickens experience REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. (What do you think they are dreaming about?)

Serves 4

Ingredients:
3 heads of garlic
1 teaspoon plus
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
One whole skinless chicken breast, diced into -inch pieces
One bunch of broccoli, cut into medium pieces
1/2 cup chicken stock
8 oz whole-wheat penne
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Cut the tops of heads of garlic so the top of the cloves are exposed.
Put in foil, drizzle with 1 tsp of olive oil and wrap into a neat package.
Roast in oven for 1 hour.
Remove, let cool slightly, open foil and squeeze out garlic paste into a small bowl - set aside.
Boil pasta according to package instructions.
While pasta is cooking, heat a large frying pan and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add chicken pieces and cook until browned.
Add broccoli, chicken stock, and roasted garlic paste. Season with salt and pepper.
When pasta is al dente, drain (do not rinse), reserving some pasta water.
Add pasta to chicken mixture. Toss and cook 1 minute. Add pasta water if needed.

Miraculous Minestrone

One pot, a bunch of vegetables, a few beans, and a bit of pasta makes a tasty, warming feast!

Fun Factoid: The earliest evidence of human beings eating soup was 6000 BC. The main ingredient was hippopotamus.

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 medium carrots, chopped
1.5 cups chopped cabbage
1 large Vidalia onion, chopped
3 garlic gloves, minced
3 cups water
1 (15 oz) can Italian stewed tomatoes, undrained
3 cubes vegetable bouillon
1 cup fresh spinach, shredded
1 can cannellini beans, drained
2/3 cup cooked ziti or other small pasta
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil.
Toss in carrots, cabbage, and onion and sauté for 5 minutes.
Add water, tomatoes, and bouillon.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Stir in spinach, pasta, cannellini beans, and pepper; heat through.

Zucchini and Tofu Stir Fry

For vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike, this recipe is divine and colorful.

Fun Factoid: The debate rages on: did couscous originate in West Africa or North Africa (Berber), or is it a Moroccan specialty?

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 can no-fat chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 zucchinis
6 scallions
1-inch hunk of ginger, grated
1 tablespoon soy ginger sauce
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Tomato (orange) couscous
1 package of tofu, cut into chunks.

Instructions:

Make couscous with chicken broth instead of water. (Follow basic instructions on package.)
In a wok, stir fry garlic, ginger, scallion, and zucchini in the oil.
Add tofu and heat through.
Serve over couscous.

Rock Star Roasted Fingerling Fries

An 8-oz potato is approximately 100 calories, so the potato is NOT the enemy. It's what you do with your potato that counts!

Fun Factoid: The potato is 80 percent water and 20 percent solids.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
16 fingerling potatoes cut into halves
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons olive oil
1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Lemon zest from one lemon

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a bowl add potatoes, onion slices, and olive oil. Toss to combine and sprinkle with spices.
Pour potato mixture into a large baking dish.
Roast in oven, stirring occasionally, 40-45 minutes or until potatoes are tender and golden.