Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 (10 oz) bag frozen seasoning blend (diced onions, celery, bell peppers, and parsley)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons salt-free chipotle seasoning
• 1 orange, for juice
• 4 large, sweet apples
• 1 cup refrigerated mashed sweet potatoes
• 2 cups apple juice
• 2 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth
• ¼ cup sliced fresh green onions
• ¼ cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds

Steps

1. Preheat large stockpot on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Add oil, seasoning blend, garlic, chili powder, and chipotle seasoning; cook 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender.
2. Juice orange (½ cup), add juice to pot, and reduce heat to medium; cook and stir 4–5 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed. Remove vegetable mixture from pot and place in blender.
3. Chop apples coarsely; reserve 1 cup. Add sweet potatoes, apple juice, broth, and remaining apples in blender; blend until smooth.
4. Pour mixture into same stockpot and return to stove on medium; simmer 10–12 minutes until flavors have blended. Chop reserved apples finely and place in medium bowl. Stir in onions, yogurt, and pumpkin seeds until blended. Serve soup topped with apple-yogurt topper.

Ingredients

• 2 lb sweet apples
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin (or apple) pie spice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Steps

1. Halve apples, then juice following your juicer's instruction manual (4 cups).
2. Combine pumpkin, sugar, pie spice, and vanilla; whisk in apple juice until blended. Chill 30 minutes; whisk before serving over ice.

Chef's Tip: If you don't have a juicer, you can blend cored and peeled apples until smooth, then strain, or substitute 100% apple juice..

Ingredients

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
• 3 medium tart (or sweet) apples
• 2 medium, firm Bartlett pears
• 3 tablespoons water
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Vanilla ice cream (optional, for serving)

Steps

1. Set puff pastry out to thaw. Preheat oven to 375°F. Peel, core, and quarter apples and pears.
2. Place sugar and water in 10-inch cast-iron skillet (or heavy, oven-safe sauté pan) on medium. Cook 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until light amber in color. Stir in butter until melted.
3. Add apples and pears to sugar mixture; stir carefully to coat. Cook 10–12 minutes, flipping occasionally, until fruit begins to soften and caramel deepens to a rich brown color. Remove from heat.
4. Meanwhile, remove corners from puff pastry to create 10-inch dough round; prick generously with a fork.
5. Arrange apples and pears artfully in pan, overlapping slightly, in very tight concentric circle. Place dough on top, tucking sides carefully into edges. Bake 20–30 minutes until pastry is golden and juices are bubbling around edges.
6. Remove skillet from oven and let stand to cool 10 minutes. Run knife around edge of pan to loosen tart. Invert carefully onto 14-inch round serving platter. Serve warm with ice cream, if using.