Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Lauren Rashap
Fall and winter is the season for the superfoods, butternut, pumpkins, acorn, and all dark orange squashes, but I enjoy this year round. It’s delicious chilled on a hot summer day! These root veggies pack a powerhouse of flavor and phytonutrients like vitamin A, C and potassium. I love this naturally sweet recipe when pre-roasting caramelizes the squash to give this soup an exceptionally rich and robust flavor. I like to serve it in espresso cups as an appetizer with a dollop of raw whipped cream. It’s a perfect way to start off a meal with a cup instead of a salad starter!
Yield: 10-12 servings, 1 cup each
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
ingredients
2 med/large squash, sliced in half with seeds removed
Cinnamon, coriander, cardamom, nutmeg and thyme
1 (32 oz) box of organic free-range chicken broth
Sea salt and cayenne pepper
Cream for topping (optional)
Method
Drizzle olive oil or butter over surface and place a clove of garlic in the center of each half.
Saturate with large sprinklings of cinnamon, coriander, cardamom, nutmeg and thyme.
Put in oven for 35 minutes on 375ºF.
Remove from oven and peel away the skin and add meat to blender (need to do in batches, maybe).
Add a box of organic free-range chicken broth.
Blend until creamy.
Add sea salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
Serve in little cups with a tbsp of cream on top (optional).
Superfood breakdown
Aside from heaping amounts of beta carotene, vitamins A, C and potassium, super squash soup’s nutrients are further enhanced with blood sugar-controlling cinnamon and super herb thyme, which is effective in the treatment of cough and upper respiratory conditions.