Butternut Squash Curry Soup

Soup, soup, and more soup! Apparently soup is my flavor of the month. However, despite making several different kinds, this one continues to stick out as one of my favorites. Butternut squash truly blends well into soup, and this one adds the flavors of apples (always a good partnership) and some mild curry spices for a delicious side dish, appetizer, or even main course. While it served here as a main course you could easily serve it with a salad and some crusty bread for dipping and make it an entire, hearty yet healthy meal.

This night, however, I chose to pair it with some freshly made shrimp and broccoli pizza. To me, homemade pizza is always a good idea and it did not fail to impress here. I used whole wheat crust to add some nutrition, whipped up some salt-free tomato sauce, and threw in some onions and mushrooms as well. Feel free to adjust this recipe to suit whatever you had in mind for the night!

Difficulty: easy
Time: 40 min
Cost: $18.96

Tuna Burgers and Vegetarian Autumn Minestrone

Who doesn't love tuna? And when it's sustainable, healthy, and served up on a bun it gets even better. Oh, and did I mention that it's cheap? I purchased some nice, Whole Foods brand tuna in cans for very little and then added in some vegetables and spices for delicious, homemade burgers. It's dinner in no time and it makes barely a dent in your wallet.

To go along with the burgers, I also made a fresh vegetable minestrone. It features all of your autumn favorites- squash, potatoes, beans, orzo, green beans, and more. It's hearty AND healthy, so this is not only a great side but leftovers make a fantastic lunch all week long.

Difficulty: easy
Time: 50 minutes
Cost: $22.04

Maple-Citrus Glazed Salmon

While I've been writing a lot about squash lately, maple syrup is also a fantastic addition to fall recipes. Although obviously available year-round, this is when it starts to come into season and its rich, sweet flavors are truly a perfect complement to the temperatures outside. Maple flavorings are great with vegetables (squash!), with desserts (obviously), and also as toppings for entrees. Here, you'll find fresh salmon flavored with maple syrup with a citrus twist to help cut some of the sweetness and leave a lingering, refreshing flavor.

Just keep in mind that while not fattening, maple syrup DOES pack in the sugar, and therefore the calories. So keep it in moderation to avoid canceling out all of your hard work at the gym. Also, add the veggies! I served this salmon with my stuffed zucchini for a delicious and healthy side-dish.

And, of course, as always when purchasing salmon, make sure you know what kinds are sustainable and what kinds are not. It's not always what you'd expect. Farmed Atlantic Salmon, one of the most common kinds you'll find at your local store, is NOT sustainable. Stay away from it! Instead, look for wild varieties such as Alaskan Coho, Sockeye, or King. Personally, I prefer the fresh, wild varieties and they are also less fatty - even more reason beyond the environmental reasons (which are enough!) to stick with this guide's recommendations.

Difficulty: easy
Time: 30 minutes
Cost: $24.65

Pecan Crusted Trout with Delicata Squash Pasta

Ever had delicata squash? It's lighter and creamier than many others with a sweet aftertaste. It is absolutely perfect in soups, pastas, or roasted and stuffed. While perhaps not one of the most commonly used squashes, I find it delicious and encourage all squash aficionados and even mild fans to step out of their normal pattern and try the many delicious varieties that are available to you each fall!

This fall/winter recipe features fresh delicata squash in a pasta with sage, pine nuts, and just enough light sauce to barely coat your noodles. Although the pasta is easily enough for a meal, I also made freshly crusted trout. That's right - purchase some pecans and start crushing them so you, too, can make this crunchy and delectable trout at home.

Difficulty: easy
Time: 1 hr 30 min
Cost: $15.13

Teriyakai Shrimp Kebabs with Smashed Potatoes and Turnips and a Banana Cheesecake with Caramel Rum Sauce

I don't make desserts very often, so this time I wanted to go all out. And yes, this keeps up with my healthy rule! I made a nearly entirely fat-free banana cheesecake with gooey, rich caramel rum sauce. (The nearly fat-free applying to the sauce as well.) Just imagine forking up chilled and creamy banana cheesecake with warm, sticky caramel sauce on top, all finished with a tinge of rum. Absolute. Heaven.

It hardly even matters what I made for dinner at this point, since the dessert is clearly the focus of this meal, but alas, my boyfriend insists I'm not allowed to simply enjoy dessert for dinner. (A skill I initially learned from my mother.) So in addition to the cheesecake (pause for craving a piece again) you'll find some shrimp teriyaki, grilled to perfection, and smashed potatoes and turnips. The potato is typical to be found here but the turnips add a sweetness that works perfectly with the potato and just slightly lightens the texture for a delicious vegetable-starch side.

Difficulty: medium-easy
Time: 11 hrs total with cheesecake setting time, or 2 hrs first night (cheesecake only) and 1 hr the second night (finish cheesecake and rest of meal)
Cost: $21.56

Tuna with Onion, Mint, and Almonds with Zucchini Pistou Pasta

Tuna can be absolutely delicious, but before rushing off to the store to make this creation, please make sure you are familiar with the tuna sustainability list! It's complicated and long, but if you want to continue to be able to eat tuna for years to come you must follow it. (Not to even begin to get into the environmental importance of sustainability!)

This tuna was prepare scaloppine style, which basically means thinly sliced. You do not have to go through that last step if you do not want to, but I did as you can see in the picture above. It's topped with a delicious medley of onion, mint, and almonds among some other ingredients. The onion provides a tartness, the mint a fresh burst of flavor, and the almonds a crunch, savory aftertaste. It works excellently together!

And on the side, let's not forget the zucchini pistou. A pistou is basically a type of pesto, but here instead of being solely based in basil it is based on zucchini, but still includes the herb as well. That's right - sauteed zucchini in the pasta and a zucchini sauce ON the pasta. Make this when you have delicious, ripe (local?) zucchini and you'll be in heaven. I took the leftovers for lunch all week...

Difficulty: medium (mostly because cooking tuna correctly is difficult)
Time: 40 minutes
Cost: $21.55

Cilantro-Curry Tilapia with Toasted Coconut and Sauteed Plaintains

Think bold flavors and soft textures enclosed by crispy edges and coatings. Sound amazing? Then you're ready to make this Caribbean-themed meal. The fresh cilantro mixed with sweet coconut and a tad of spice from the curry make the fish practically melt in your mouth. This is an especially good recipe for people who enjoy rich flavoring.

Along with the Tilapia I prepared some sauteed plantains. These cousins of banana are a great source of vitamins A and C, but also come loaded with a fair amount of natural sugar. So enjoy these delicious, starchy fruits, but don't overload on them too often! Luckily they have a wonderful taste so a little goes a long way. (And they're sweet enough you won't want dessert after dinner!!)

Difficulty: easy
Time: 25 minutes
Cost: $12.08

Sweet Coriander-Pepper-Sesame Crusted Salmon with a Potato-Leek-Squash Soup

I've been delving into a lot of soups recently, with the chill in the air and eagerness to take advantage of my farmer's market's fall offerings, but this one might take home the prize. What makes a good fall winter soup? Potato - check. Leek - check. Squash - check. This thick, creamy soup combines the three for a hearty and tantalizing creation. It's on the thicker end of soups, but each bite is a delight.

To pair with the savory-with-a-tinge-of-sweet soup, I also served fresh salmon crusted with coriander, pepper, and sesame seeds but sweetened with an apricot glaze. The bite of the spices mixed with the crunch of sesame and the sweetness of the fruit was a perfect blend. Each bite was interesting in its texture and flavor, and the salmon was a perfect complement to the soup.

Difficulty: medium
Time: 1 hr
Cost: $32.50

Lemon-Pesto Butter Tilapia with Spiced Pumpkin Loaves

As fall goes into full gear, it's time to pile on the pumpkin goodness. For dinner, I made a spiced pumpkin bread. This is not to be confused with being "spicy" but just flavorful, or spiced. It's warm and delicious with the perfect texture. The recipe makes two loaves, so serve both if you are expecting a big audience or freeze one as soon as it is cooled to room temperature after baking. Just wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in a plastic bag that is sealed and air tight! If you do that, it can stay frozen for many, many months. Simply let it defrost overnight when it's time to thaw it out.

Along with the bread, I made tilapia with a lemon-pesto butter. I'm a huge fan of pesto straight-up, but this version make it a little less tart, mellowing the flavor for casual pesto fans versus hard-core pesto eaters. The lemon flavoring complimented the pesto perfectly. I also prepared a southern corn succotash (previously featured) to round out dinner.

Difficulty: easy
Time: 1 hr 15 min
Cost: $13.66

Cilantro-Lime Bluefish

I love bluefish. I'm really not sure why it so often gets short shrift. It's ridiculously cheap as far as fish goes, tasty, sustainable, and can be prepared in endless ways. It even has enough flavor of its own to make it quite simply. So what's not to love? Is it the funny color? I admit, it does often have bones, but that's really the only drawback I can fathom.

I prepared the bluefish this time with a cilantro-lime butter. The butter provided a creamy base (and I used fake butter to cut the fat) that paired perfectly with the citrus flavors of lime and the bright, flavorful fresh cilantro. Minimize the butter and pack on the cilantro for a healthier alternative that I actually find way more tasty than the reverse. I made smashed potatoes and honey mustard brussels sprouts to go with the fish (which is reflected in the price below.)

Difficulty: easy
Time: 20 minutes
Cost: $15.02