World's Easiest Butternut-Apple Soup

This butternut-apple soup is so easy, you can still make it even if you are:

1. Asleep
2. Dumb as a box of rocks
3. Blackout drunk
4. On any number of prescription or illegal drugs
5. Having a psychotic break
6. Hallucinating due to an undiagnosed brain tumor
7. In the late stages of Alzheimer's
8. Experiencing demonic possession
9. All of the above

Also, it's delicious. So really, you have no excuse not to make it.

World's Easiest Butternut-Apple Soup

• One quart-sized carton of vegetable stock
• One package of pre-chopped butternut squash (if it's over 30 ounces, use only about 3/4 of it)
• One yellow onion, cut into big chunks
• Half an apple (any variety), cut into big chunks
• Salt, pepper, ground nutmeg

In a soup pot, combine the stock, squash, onion, and apple. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until everything is soft and tender. Pour it into a blender (do it in batches if it won't all fit) and puree. (Be careful with blending the hot soup -- don't put the lid on the blender or it will explode due to escaping steam; just cover the top with a dish towel to prevent splatters.) Return to pot and add salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste.

Roasted Tomato Enchiladas

This is one of my fave quick and easy dinners. I've made it a couple times now, so I was actually kind of surprised to learn that I had never posted it to the ol' blog. What?! I shall now rectify the situation immediately.

There's not too much introduction needed for this recipe. It produces a tray of delicious enchiladas stuffed with chewy tofu cubes, black beans, and cumin and smothered with roasted tomatoes and onions. And you can make it in, like, 20 minutes if you're speedy. Also, it has tons of protein and tastes great!

Roasted Tomato Enchiladas

• One block of firm tofu, pressed ahead of time for 30 minutes to an hour, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (if you didn't press in advance, just blot the cubes with paper towels to remove excess water)
• One 16-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Onion, chopped
• Two regular cans or one big can of diced fire-roasted tomatoes
• 4 large burrito-size flour tortillas

Preheat your oven to 350 F and lightly oil a 9x13 baking pan with some cooking spray. Hit a large non-stick skillet with some more of the cooking spray and heat over medium-high. Saute the tofu cubes until they're a nice golden brown on all sides, which could take anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes. While this is going on, combine the black beans, cumin, salt and pepper in a bowl. When the tofu is done browning, add to the black bean mixture and stir to combine well.

In the same skillet, add a bit more cooking spray and saute the onion until softened, 3-4 minutes. Add the can(s) of fire-roasted tomatoes with their juice and bring to a low simmer. While that's going, divide the tofu-bean mixture evenly among the four tortillas, roll them up, and put them in the baking pan with the seam side facing down. Pour the onion-tomato sauce evenly over the enchiladas and bake for 10 minutes or until completely warmed through.

Mac & Cheese & Greens

Last night's dinner felt pretty blog-worthy. Tonight's, not so much. But I'll share it anyway in the interest of keeping the momentum going.

I cobbled this recipe together out of several different ones I've seen around the webs lately. It's a simple premise: mac and cheese that's actually kind of healthy. Less cheese; more veggies (greens and butternut squash); whole wheat pasta. You can throw the whole thing together in the time it takes to boil the pasta water and cook the macaroni, which is great on a weeknight.

This is a good way to put to use any leafy greens you've got in the fridge that look a little past their prime. Even if they're all wilted, it doesn't matter, because you're just going to saute them up and make a sauce out of them anyway. The only important thing is to wash them really well -- and not just under running water, I'm talking about swirling them around in a big bowl of cold water for at least 2-3 minutes. You'll notice a ton of dirt left in the bowl when you take the greens out.

If you want, you can puree the sauce in a blender or food processor before stirring the pasta in, but I left mine as-is because let's face it, I'm kind of lazy.

Mac & Cheese & Greens

• 2 cups dry whole-wheat macaroni elbows
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 pound greens, cleaned and chopped (such as spinach, kale, collards, turnip greens, or my personal preference, chard)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes
• About 1 cup of pureed butternut squash (about 2/3 of a can)
• Nutmeg
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth or water
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used low-fat cheddar)

Prepare the pasta according to package directions. In the meantime, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the greens, garlic, and salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste. Saute for about 4-5 minutes, or until greens are tender. Add squash, broth or water, and nutmeg to taste; heat through. Stir in cheese. At this point your pasta should be done, so add it to the pan and mix well. Add more broth or water if sauce is too thick. Serves 3-4.