Mmmmmm Autumn

In my life, Autumn has always meant delicious soups, chili's, pies and cider. It's my favorite time of year for cooking and, of course, eating! We are part of a fantastic Organic Farm Co-op which delivers a bunch of freshly picked, vegetables to my doorstep every Thursday. Right now, potatoes are in season, so I have been getting a LOT of potatoes. Searching for healthy ways to use these delicious spuds I found the following recipe. My cookbook was laid open when my husband came in asking "What's for dinner?" When I answered "Potato Soup!" he looked down at the cookbook and kind of screwed up his face. Looks like he was hoping for at least a couple legs with that meal! Regardless, when I served up the piping hot bowl, he went back for seconds and thirds, proclaiming that this is one I should try and can in our pressure canner so we can have it whenever we want, quickly. I am listing all of the cookbook author information as well. If you can find it, I highly recommend getting a copy ... every recipe we have tried so far has been fantastic! (I purchased mine from Barnes & Noble.)

Baked Potato Soup
From: The PDQ Vegetarian Cookbook
Author: Donna Klein
Publisher: The Berkley Publishing Group
Copyright 2004

24 oz Small red-skinned potatoes (I used regular old potatoes, quartered)
1 (14-oz) can (1-3/4 cups) low-sodium vegetable broth
1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup (4-oz) cream cheese (with chives if you can find it)
1-1/2 cups skim milk
1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste
Light sour cream and reduced fat shredded cheese to garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place the potatoes on an ungreased baking sheet and prick with a fork. Bake 45-60 minutes or until fork-tender through the center, depending upon size.

Transfer the potatoes to a medium stockpot and mash coarsely with a potato masher. Add the broth, salt, onion powder and garlic powder; mash until slightly lumpy and skins are in bite-sized pieces. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low and add the cream cheese; cook, stirring. until smooth and incorporated. Add the milk and pepper; bring to a gentle simmer on medium high heat, stirring occasionally, taking care not to allow the mixture to boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened, 5-10 minutes. Serve hot, garnishing each serving with a dollop of sour cream and/or a sprinkling of cheddar cheese, as desired. Serves 4.

NOTE: The author has several vegan options for this soup that you can obtain by purchasing the cookbook. Enjoy!!