About the Recipe
Nothing says Fall like a bowl of soup and especially winter squash soup and this one is full of warming fall flavours and high in Vitamin A's and C's. It's light on the pocket book too. Feel free to make a double batch or thin the soup out with more stock. It's really down to your personal taste on how thick you like your soup and how big your squash was to begin with.
Ingredients
1 medium sized Butternut Squash or Kabocha, cut, seeded and roasted
2 tsp EVOO
3 ribs celery, diced
1 medium onion or 2 shallots, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
6-8 cups chicken or vegetable stock
3 tbsp coconut milk powder (that you've diluted in 1/2 cup water) (you can substitute a 1/2 can of light coconut milk for this is you wish)
1 tart apple, peeled and cubed
salt & pepper, to taste
2 tbsp maple syrup (I use Steevie's sugar free Maple Syrup and save the calories)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the kabocha squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Cut into 2" thick slices, and roast on the baking sheet for 35-40 minutes or until fork-tender. Let cool until you can handle them enough to peel the skin away.
While the squash is roasting, sauté the shallot, garlic, and ginger in a large pot over medium-low heat, until the shallot is tender and translucent, 10 minutes.
Add cumin and coriancer and stir in to the mixture, allow to cook on medium/low for another 5 minutes. Take off the heat until the squash has had time to cook and cool enough to peel and cut into chunks. Then add the squash to the pot, and cover with the chicken or vegetable stock.
Bring to a boil, add the diced apple, then reduce to simmer for 20 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low, and add the coconut milk.Turn off the heat, and puree the soup in the pot using an immersion blender. Alternatively, puree the soup in a blender in batches, being careful not to overfill the blender.
Season the soup with salt and pepper to your taste, and maple syrup - serve.
I like to roast up the pumpkin/squash seeds with "everything bagel seasoning" and then use them as croutons for the top of my soup or you can just make some homemake croutons with some of your favourite leftover bread. Waste not...