chicken with raspberry sauce, sweet potato & squash mash

i'm really trying to embrace autumn. i've always loved fall, but i don't know that i've ever actively tried to incorporate it into my meals. the other night i made cashew-encrusted chicken breasts with mixed veggies and an combo of sweet potato and butternut squash mash. YUM. a double thumbs up goes to the mash and the raspberry sauce i put on the chicken.

a carrot cake NOT to try

while my step-dad was in town, he celebrated his birthday. i thought it fitting to make him a fabulous gluten-free cake, and since his favorite is carrot cake, i went in search of a recipe. i found one in an allergy cookbook (that will not be named since the result was....well, i'll tell you in a minute) and i set to work. the recipe included some cooked mashed carrots, some raw shredded carrots, coconut, raisins, and a whole host of other ingredients - notably, a lot of oil. i was surprised and extremely disappointed after happy birthday was sung and the candles were blown out to find that the cake was DRY. it had the flavor right...but it was most definitely lacking. gluten free fail.

i will say that the frosting was excellent.

peanut butter vegetable chicken soup

yes, i'm serious. i made peanut butter vegetable chicken soup last night and it was delicious! neither dave nor i are feeling top notch so i was in the mood for soup. i found this recipe and had to give it a try. i know it sounds a bit odd, but it ended up being a great meal for us. for one, it has a ton of veggies in it. and two, who doesn't love peanut butter?! (though i must be honest: the flavor at the end isn't really peanut buttery...it has an overall nutty essence.) please forgive the photograph - nothing looks good in green bowls!

the recipe (slightly modified from this one):

8 cups chicken broth
one cup chopped onion
one cup chopped celery
two cloves garlic, roughly chopped
two chicken breasts, cooked and chopped or shredded
one cup peeled and diced carrot
one cup peeled and chopped potato
one cup diced zucchini
one cup broccoli florets
1 can whole tomatoes (including juice), broken up
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter

directions:
in a little drizzle of olive oil, saute the onion, garlic and celery until translucent and set aside. meanwhile, in a large pot, bring the chicken broth to a boil. add the carrot, chicken, and potato, return the broth to a boil, and then simmer for ten minutes. add the onion, garlic, and celery mixture as well as the zucchini, broccoli and tomatoes and simmer for another ten minutes or so. add the peanut butter and mix until the peanut butter has dissolved. i find it best to let the flavors work in for another ten minutes or so. if needed, add a little salt and pepper and/or parsley.

enjoy!