Sweet Potato, Squash and Apple Soup

A lazy Sunday afternoon calls for a lazy stroll to the nearby market, and a lazy recipe for soup. The following recipe is overflowing with the flavors of Autumn: butternut squash, apples, sweet potatoes and onion. Before trying the soup, I was convinced that it would taste peculiar, but because the majority of ingredients have a sweetness to them, it works wonderfully. The soup only has a hint of apple in it. Not to brag or anything, but my roommate Abbe said it was the best thing I've ever made. Success!!

Have a happy Sunday.

Sweet Potato, Squash and Apple Soup
From the cookbook, How It All Vegan

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cups vegetable stock

2 cups butternut squash, peeled and diced

2-3 medium gala apples

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

In a large soup pot, heat olive oil. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add stock, squash, apple, potatoes, and spices. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer. 2 ladles at a time, blend until smooth in a food processor or blender. Return to soup pot and stir before serving.

Perfect Pancakes

For some crazy, insane reason that I cannot identify, I am almost a stranger to the delicious breakfast food known as pancakes. Perhaps I have never had the time nor patience to make the Sunday-morning staple, and shied away from the sickly sweet prepared dry batter that I see lining the shelves of the grocery store. (Rarely is the taste anything but horrible when a product claims to "Just Add Water").

But after receiving an outstanding cookbook for Christmas, Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, I vowed to tackle pancake making. Spending the last few days in Vermont proved to be the perfect opportunity to pull out the griddle when the weather dropped to a whooping 5 degrees.

I was pleasantly surprised with the whole process, as the recipe provided by Vegan Brunch asked for only a few ingredients, little labor more than whisking flour, and a slightly sweet, deliciously fluffy pancake!

Top these with a big drench of maple syrup. Hey, when in Vermont you have to take advantage of the staple product!

Classic Pancakes
By Vegan Brunch

1 1/4 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons canola oil

1/3 cup water

1 to 1 1/4 cups plain rice or soy milk

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Cooking spray

Directions
Preheat a skillet over medium heat for at least 2 minutes.
Sift all dry ingredients together. Make a well in the middle and pour in all of the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. Lumps are okay.
Spray the pan with a light coat of cooking spray. Pour pancakes one at a time and cook until bubbles form and the top looks somewhat dry (about 3 minutes). Flip over and cook for another minute. Stack on plate and serve.