As summer draws to a slow close, many of us still find ourselves with an abundance of the season’s finest veggies – zucchini, bell peppers, corn, and even fresh garlic. What to do with it all?

That was the question I asked myself last week as I faced a refrigerator produce drawer with a bag of carrots, 1 yellow bell pepper, 1 yellow squash, 2 green zucchini, and a bag full of purple and yellow potatoes. Soup came to mind as it is a great, easy way to use up items that have just about passed their peak.

This soup is thick and creamy, perfect for the largest of spoons. It gets its name from the pops of color – mainly the potatoes and green zucchini. It tastes just like like you’d imagine late summer would: still bright but with a hint of the coming season (cinnamon and thyme round out the flavors).

My favorite part? It’s so good for you. Except for the tiniest bit of cream, this soup is all vegetables and spices.

Serves 4, Prep Time: 30 minutes, Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:: 

• 1 TBS olive oil
• 1 c onion, shallot, and garlic mix (buy the prepared mix in the produce section or dice up ~ 1/2 a white onion, 1 shallot, and 2 cloves garlic to make 1 cup)
• 5 whole carrots, peeled, topped, and cut into 1/2 inch rounds
• 4 small potatoes, gold, purple, or mixed, cut into quarters
• 2 green zucchini, cut into 1 inch rounds
• 1 yellow squash, cut into 1 inch rounds
• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded, an sliced into thin strips
• 1/3 c heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• salt, pepper, to taste

Week 4 of college football season is here. Man, I hope that’s a correct fact, otherwise men everywhere will delete me from their RSS feeds forever.

Well, anyway this week’s fantasy football food consists of 3 things that most men love: Chili. Beef. Bread. Oh, and cheese. So 4 things.

Chili is already one of Fall and Winter’s best dishes. Add to that cornbread, cheese, and one-dish easiness, and this may become one of your go-to meals for the season. And boys, while I realize that this is not eating-with-your-hands-food, I don’t think that one week of eating with a real bowl and spoon will make you feel like any less of a man.

Don’t like beef? Use ground chicken or turkey instead. Vegetarian? Leave all the meat out. There are plenty of beans and vegetables to make this a great stand alone meal. Tip:: buy or make a little extra cornbread. It’s such a great partner to chili.

Ryan watched me make this the whole way through. And threatened to keep my pie plate. I think he has plans to make it himself! Now that’s what I call a culinary success!

Makes about 5 servings

Ingredients::

• 1 pound cornbread (you can buy it pre-made at Whole Foods)
• 1 (15-ounce) can vegetarian bean chili
• 1 (15-ounce) can kidney or black beans, drained
• 1 (12.5-ounce) jar medium salsa
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack & Cheddar cheese
• 1 lb. lean ground beef

Directions::

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Season and brown the ground beef in a saute pan over medium high heat until cooked through. Crumble half of the cornbread into a medium size baking dish or regular size pie pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine the chili, beans and salsa. Spoon the chili mixture evenly over the cornbread. Spoon the ground beef over the chili mixture. Crumble the remaining cornbread over the beef. Sprinkle the top with shredded cheese.
3. Bake in the top third of the oven for 30 minutes, until cheese is melted and top is golden brown. Allow to sit 5 to 10 minutes before serving.