Vegetarian white bean soup


Winter is not my favorite season but I love soup season. There is nothing better than a day on the slopes and having a nice bowl of soup.
The cold has finally set in in Utah and I’ve already made a half dozen different soups and fresh bread. But the vegetarian white bean soup is one of my all-time favorites. Even my meat-eating husband will eat seconds.

Vegetarian white bean soup

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 package of Tofurkey sun dried tomato and basil vegetarian sausages
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can of great northern beans
6 cups of vegetable broth
1 can diced tomatoes
1 bag spinach
1 zucchini, quartered
1 red bell pepper, cut in half
1 onion, diced
salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 400-degrees.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, add the sausages and cook, stirring once, until browned (about 2 minutes). Stir in garlic and onions and cook an additional 2 minutes.
Add the beans, broth, tomatoes, zucchini, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Once the soup boils, turn heat down to a simmer. Stir occasionally.
While the soup is cooking on the stove, roast the red bell pepper in the oven for about 12 to 15 minutes, until soft.
Allow the pepper to cool and dice and add to the simmering soup.
Add the spinach to the soup to wilt for 2 to 3 minutes.
Serve with fresh bread.

Apple bread


With two 100-year apple trees, we spend our Fall eating meals and meals of apples. Apple salad. Apple bread. Apple pancakes. Apple fritters. Apple muffins. Apples and honey. Applesauce. Dried apples. But one of my favorites is apple bread. It’s the way I start my day and the way I end my night. I usually make a big batch and freeze half to eat in the middle of winter after a long day on the slopes. That’s, of course, if half even makes it to the freezer.
Fresh Apple Bread
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 oatmeal
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup finely shredded, unpeeled apple
1/4 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Grease the bottom of a loaf pan and set aside. In a medium bowl 
combine first seven ingredients.
In another medium bowl combine egg, sugars, apple and oil. 
Add apple mixture all at once to the flour mix. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). If adding, fold in nuts and spoon batter into  prepared pan. 
Bake in 350-degree oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.
(Instead of apple, you can also use zucchini. Prepare the same as above)