Butternut Squash Soup

To kick things off I thought I would start with an all time favorite. It's a great comfort food for fall and winter and can be made so many different ways. The first time a make a new dish I follow the recipe to the letter then I figure out ways to basterdize it. For this Butternut Squash soup recipe I am going to give you a few different options because hey, who doesn't like variety?

What you will need:

*Your favorite album. I like to listen to Chet Baker's Baby Breeze while making this soup

*A glass of your favorite white wine (if you drink). You can check this site (barnivore)to see if your favorite drink is vegan.

1 med. butternut squash (or pepper squash)

Olive oil (for brushing on squash before baking)

Garlic powder (to sprinkle on squash while baking)

1 Harvest Sun  organic low sodium vegetable bouillon cube, which can be found locally at Panacea. 

*If you have time you can always make your own or use a prepared vegetable broth like Pacific Foods.

2 lrg. carrots (you can also add fennel)

1 lrg. Bosc pear (or Gala or Honeycrisp apple)

3-4 cloves of garlic (adjust to taste)

2 tbls. of diced fresh ginger

1 lrg. or 2 small sweet Spanish onions

2 tbls. of Braggs

1 tbls. of Earth Balance

Salt and Pepper to taste

 1. Preheat oven to 350˚. Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Put seeds in a bowl and save for baking. You will need to wash and let seeds dry.

2. Brush on olive oil and sprinkle on garlic powder. Cover squash with tin foil and place on pan tin foil side up. Bake approx. 45mins. (Check occasionally to see if squash is soft). Uncover and let bake for 10-15 minutes more minutes without tin foil off. Brown tops. I usually do this the night before.

3. Chop onions, garlic and ginger then sautée in Braggs and Earth Balance until golden brown.

4. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil and place in vegetable bouillon cube. Add salt and pepper.

5. Chop carrots and pears and place in broth along with baked squash, sautéed onions, garlic, and ginger. Let simmer for about 20-30 minutes.

6. I usually use a Magic Bullet for this next step but a blender works great too. If you are using a Bullet you will need to do this next part in two steps.  Once soup is cooked blend together.

7. Garnish with seeds.

Baking seeds while soup is simmering:

Pre-heat oven to 250˚. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.

Place clean, dry seeds in a bowl and drizzle on olive oil then sprinkle in cumin, sweet spanish paprika, garlic powder and fine fine sea salt. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden and mix occasionally. These are great to eat separately as a snack or you garnish your soup with them. -B