Day 125 and Butternut Squash Soup

Over the years I have occasionally tried blended soup, you know just really putting myself out there to experience a cuisine that I never even remotely grew up with. Sometimes it tasted pleasing. But most of the time I couldn't get past a weird mental thought that I was eating the consistency of baby food. (Interesting what our minds can do to us.)

In the celebration of moving forward and experiencing the vast ways of loving a healthy lifestyle, I tried again the other day to have a blended soup while out to lunch with a friend. We were at a local bistro getting ready to order and their banner for their seasonal Autumn Squash Soup caught my attention. Who could resist " a blend of butternut squash and pumpkin, simmered in vegetable broth, honey, apple juice, cinnamon and a hint of curry." 

Oh my goodness! It was nourishing food for my tummy and body and the perfect sweet to curb my cravings. Who needed to bother with the temptations of their bakery display with this amazing soup to cuddle up with?

Once back at home I got the cooking bug. What could I do? Could I possibly have that soup again AND be in the comfort of my home? I googled recipes and quickly found copycat versions a plenty. I think I would like to try this one eventually. But for my first try, I settled on a recipe from a favorite blogger read of mine called Nosh and Nourish. Kelly is a pretty amazing kitchen gal and such a transparent easy to read sweetheart. Here is her recipe that I gleaned from. The one thing that I truly changed in her recipe is that she used acorn squash and I used a butternut squash. I don't know how the taste is different as I confess I didn't grow up on gourds. But now I will most definitely start playing with them.

My breakfast today!

I gathered ingredients yesterday and made my first blended soup! It was fun and not nearly as difficult as I had imagined it to be. My house still smells so lovely full of spice and richness. So good in fact that instead of juice for breakfast, I am having a bowl of squash soup. giggle giggle

Below is Kelly's recipe with my adaptation.

Oh and for a side note, I went to this website to learn how in the world to prepare a butternut gourd. I followed the guidelines for baking it in shell and then scooping out the inside. I also followed her suggestion of roasting the seeds for enjoying.

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients

1 Butternut Squash

4 Apples peeled and sliced, I used Galas

1/2 diced sweet onion

4 Carrots sliced into thin coins

1 TBSP Olive Oil plus extra

32 oz. vegetable broth

1/2 TBSP Ground Ginger

1 TBSP fresh sage diced

1 TBSP Minced Garlic

11 oz. Coconut Water

1 tsp Salt

Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat over to 450 degrees

2. Cut squash in half length ways, remove seeds and brush inside of gourd with extra olive oil

3. Place face down in 9 x 13 dish and bake 45-1 hour until squash is soft.

4. Saute onion, garlic and carrots in the TBSP of olive oil for 5 minutes

5. Add sliced apples, chicken broth and coconut water.

6. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until carrots are tender.

7. Remove skin (and green veins) from squash and add to simmered mixture.

8. Puree in a blender or use and immersion stick

9. Add diced fresh sage, ginger, salt and pepper

10. Enjoy!  Serve with a topping of pepitas (roasted squash and pumpkin seeds) for a yummy crunch.

Yields approximately 8 servings

Celebrating God's goodness!