As the weather turns from warm and humid to cool and crisp, I find my desire to leave my warm and cozy house slowly disappearing.

And due to my love of cooking, I have been browsing online for the perfect fall recipe to warm me up during these cold times.

Fall is filled with orange-colored aspects, from Halloween decorations to pumpkins and sweet potatoes. And being the broke college student that I am, I was looking for a recipe that would be affordable and healthy as well as perfect to eat on a chilly fall day.

Not to mention, it being orange would add that seasonal touch.

I found a sweet potato soup recipe tucked away in one of my mom’s cookbooks at home and it seemed like the perfect comfort food recipe to end my search.

Ingredients:

3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves crushed garlic

2 cups chopped medium-sized onions

2 cups peeled and chopped sweet potatoes

½ cup chopped celery

2 tablespoons paprika

1 teaspoon crushed basil

1 teaspoon salt

Cinnamon

Cayenne pepper

4-5 cups chicken broth

1 cup chopped tomatoes

¾ cup chopped green or red peppers

1 ½ cup chickpeas

First, sauté in a pan with three to four tablespoons of olive oil, two cloves of crushed garlic, two cups of chopped medium-sized onions, two cups of peeled and chopped sweet potatoes and a half cup of chopped celery, which equals about two stalks of celery.

Next, add two teaspoons of paprika, one teaspoon of crushed basil, one teaspoon of salt, a dash of cinnamon and a dash of cayenne pepper.

Place this mixture in a pot big enough to fit four to five cups of chicken broth.

Once your ingredients are in the pot, add the chicken broth, cover the pot and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Once your soup has simmered, add one cup of chopped tomatoes, ¾ cup of chopped green or red peppers and 1.5 cup of chickpeas (15 oz. can).

Let this simmer for another 20 minutes and your sweet potato soup is ready to eat.

The great thing about this recipe is that vegetables are extremely easy to access especially with all of the local farms in the area.

With the abundance of farm stands scattered around the outskirts of the University of Massachusetts campus, it is easy to buy all of the vegetables for the soup for a very affordable price while also supporting local businesses at the same time.

Not only are sweet potatoes delicious and easy to access, they are good for you, too. They are full of vitamin C and D, which help with your immune system and are a great source of magnesium, which helps reduce stress – perfect for a busy college student.

This soup is basically the epitome of fall in a bowl and I recommend you try out this awesome recipe when you are in the mood for a tasty, warm and satisfying treat on a cool fall day.

Emily Abrams can be reached at [email protected].