HEALTHY Quick Dinner! Absolutely Perfect for FALL | Cozy Recipe Vlog

🍂 Welcome to Dawn of Cooking! Are you looking for a quick healthy dinner idea that feels cozy and comforting? This fall-inspired meal is absolutely perfect for chilly evenings! In this video I’m making a creamy butternut squash soup and a crisp apple kale salad with maple Dijon dressing—both heart-healthy, low cholesterol, and packed with flavor.
These recipes are simple to prepare, full of fall flavors, and nourishing for the whole family. Whether you’re trying to eat healthier, lower cholesterol naturally, or just love cozy autumn meals, this healthy fall dinner recipe will warm you inside and out. All My Love from Alaska! Hope you enjoy this mini cooking vlog.

✨ Recipes in this video:

Butternut Squash Soup (creamy & dairy-free)
Apple Kale Salad with Maple Dijon Dressing (with crunchy chickpeas for protein!)
If you enjoy healthy comfort food, make sure to subscribe for more wholesome recipes perfect for fall and beyond. 💛

🥣 Cozy Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled + chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 medium butternut squash, peeled + cubed (about 4 cups)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh thyme (or ½ tsp dried)
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
½ tsp salt (adjust to taste)
¼ tsp black pepper
Optional garnish: pumpkin seeds, swirl of plain Greek yogurt, or fresh herbs
Instructions:
In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
Stir in garlic and thyme, cook 1 minute until fragrant.
Add cubed butternut squash and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20–25 minutes, until squash is very tender.
Use an immersion blender (or carefully transfer to a blender) to puree until smooth and creamy.
Taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed.

🍯 Maple Dijon Dressing
Ingredients (Dressing):
¼ cup olive oil
1 ½ Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 ½ Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
Pinch of salt + black pepper, to taste
Instructions:
Add dressing ingredients to a small jar or bowl.
Whisk (or shake with lid on) until smooth and creamy.
Taste and adjust: add more maple for sweetness or vinegar for tang.

🥗 Apple Kale Salad
Ingredients (Salad):
Kale, stems removed, chopped
Olive oil (for massaging kale)
Crisp apples (Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Gala), thinly sliced
Toasted walnuts or pecans
I carefully toasted pecans and then added a little real maple syrup, cinnamon & salt until candied
Dried cranberries or I used Cherry Infused!
Roasted chickpeas (garbanzo beans) I toasted in a pan but if you want them really nice and crispy bake in the oven until crunchy! Don’t forget to add seasonings!

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Music on this video by Epidemic Sound

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Welcome to Donna Cooking. Fall is here in Alaska and I just love bringing the cozy flavors of the season into my kitchen. Today’s video, I’m going to be bringing you a simple, hearthealthy meal that you’re going to love. It’s a quick dinner. Here is just a hint of a couple ingredients in today’s video. Today, I’m making a crisp apple kale salad and a maple dijon dressing and a creamy butternut squash soup. It’s simple, hearthealthy, and the perfect cozy meal for this time of year. The first thing we’ll need is a nice butternut squash. You’ll just trim it and cut the ends off. Slice it down the middle and hollow it out. Cut your butternut squash into even chunks and place them in a bowl and set them aside. And then get out your onions, celery, and there’s carrots from the garden and garlic. Slice everything up uniformly and then it will be ready to sauté in a nice soup pot. Let that sauté. And with your handy dandy garlic press, you can add three cloves of garlic and just sauté that up. And now I had some thyme that I dried. So that really enhances the flavor. And go ahead and add some salt. And give that a quick stir. and add the butternut squash. Next, use a whole carton of vegetable broth and go ahead and dump it in your soup pot and place your lid on and let it cook. It’s been 30 minutes and the butternut squash is all super soft. So, now I’m just going to take part of the squash out because I like mine creamy and chunky at the same time. But if you want it only creamy, then you’re going to blend up the whole thing. [Applause] Perfect for fall. I just gave it a little taste test in it right now. I think it tastes perfect. But if you want, you can add a little bit of coconut milk. That would be great. Or um a little bit of soy milk, something to add a little more creaminess. Right now, it’s like very low calorie, though, if you want to have it that way. I just put together some toppings from for the kale salad. I got so much out of the garden, so I’m going to show you guys how to make a nice, yummy kale salad. I’m going to start off first by washing drying the kale, taking out the stems. Then I’m just going to shred it up. Now, what I’m going to do is take a little bit of olive oil and drizzle just a tiny bit in over the top of the kale. This is the secret to having a nice tender kale salad. Doesn’t take very much at all. And then just a little bit of salt. And then with your clean hands, you’re going to massage it in and just work it between your fingers. And that will make it nice and tender. I just put together a really quick topping for the kale salad. And I toasted some pecans. Added a little bit of maple syrup when they were done toasting. Some cinnamon and salt. [Music] [Music] I’m really glad you guys got to hang out with me in the kitchen today. This has been a really fun time making this quick and healthy meal with the kale salad and the butternut squash soup. Add a little pumpkin seeds, a little parsley or cilantro on top. You can even add a little bit of curry powder or even cinnamon. Thanks for coming along with me in this week’s video making the kale salad and the butternut squash soup. Hope you can add this to your menu plan this week and enjoy eating some great, healthy, wholesome food. So, till next time, happy cooking. Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe and I will see you very soon in my next video. [Music]