Butternut!

Hello again!

The best season of all is here, and the best soup of all is here:

Curried Butternut Squash

I think butternut squash soup is this decade's Italian marinara sauce... everyone has their own recipe and swears it's superior to all others. Well, here is my recipe, and yep, I think it's awesome. You can agree or disagree, and I'll still share! Curry and cinnamon give it warmth and sweetness. We enjoyed this batch over a French film rented from the library.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 butternut squash, peeled and chopped (~3 cups)
• 3 apples, peeled and chopped
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
• 1 quart vegetable broth
• 1 15-oz can coconut milk
• ½ tablespoon cinnamon
• ½ tablespoon curry powder
• ½ tablespoon salt
• Black pepper, to taste
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:

Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add olive oil and saute onion for 5 minutes. Add garlic, saute for 2 minutes. Add squash, apples, sweet potatoes, vegetable broth, coconut milk, cinnamon, curry, pepper, and cayenne. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until squash is soft. Let stand 10-15 minutes to cool slightly. Puree with immersion blender. Bring back to a simmer, adding salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt, swirl of pumpkinseed oil, and maybe some toasted coconut!

A new favorite seasonal recipe we've been into recently is my pumpkin smoothie. Mark even said, and I quote, "This is as good as pumpkin pie." (Did you know one of his top-5 favorite foods is pumpkin pie?) Now whip this up:

Pumpkin Power Smoothie

• 1/2 banana, frozen in slices
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 tbsp cashew butter
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (alternatively, 1/2 cup plain yogurt and a tsp of stevia or honey)
• 1 cup unsweetened almondmilk
• Lots of cinnamon
• Pinch of nutmeg

Blend. Eat!

I can't believe we will be celebrating our 1-year anniversary next weekend! We are off to upstate New York for a long weekend to enjoy the gorgeous season.

Until next time, eat well!