Butternut Squash Soup

Soooo apparently I took a break from blogging...life just got in the way. But now I am BACK and have a whole bunch of yummy recipes to post!
First off is something warm and hearty for the winter months....not that we are having much of a winter here in the Toronto area! TOTALLY not complaining!

 This soup requires a lot of chopping...so I like to get it all done before I even turn on the stove. Finely Chop 1 Large Spanish Onion and 2 Garlic Cloves.

 Chop 2 Celery Stalks and 3 Carrots

 This is a butternut squash. This is HARD to cut....most of the time I will try my best with my sharpest largest knife and cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast until soft (375F for about an hour). But today I didn't have the time to roast it, so I chopped it up...and I swear it probably took me just as long. So if you can...roast it...flavour city!

 Here is my chopped up squash...at this point i was tired...and did not feel like soup any longer. But I knew my devoted readers would be upset at a half finished recipe....

 In a heavy bottomed soup pot melt about 1 Tbsp of Butter over Medium/High heat.

 Add the Onion, Garlic, Celery and Carrots. Saute until the onions turn translucent.

 Now add all the squash and about a dozen mini red and regular potato's sliced in half. Or if you only half regular sized potato's use about 4 of them chopped. I like to leave the skins on for extra goodness. Stir all this to combine.

 Add about 1 quart of stock or just enough to cover the veggies. Season with salt and pepper.
I like to add 1 bay leaf and about 1 Tbsp minced fresh thyme to the pot too. Once the soup starts to boil turn the heat down to low and simmer for about 1 hour.

 All the veggies should be thoroughly cooked and soft.

 Using a hand blender (or pour soup in batches into your full size blender). Blend the soup until smooth.

 Taste at this point for additional seasoning (S&P) and just to give it a kick, I add a tsp of Cayenne Pepper.

Serve with Crispy bacon bits on a cold Winters night!!

SOUP!!

Last week I starting getting the sore itchy throat, runny nose and achy joints that the spring common cold usually lays on me.

The only thing that I have the appetite for when feeling this icky is soup. Not just chicken noodle soup…something fun, creamy without the cream and delicious, but still healthy (well…my version was sort of healthy).

I had 2 heads of cauliflower in the fridge and decided to make a roasted cauliflower soup. It totally hit the spot and 1 day later I was feeling much better. I owe it all to this soup. I swear. It’s awesome.

Cauliflower Soup with Optional unhealthy toppings!

You will need:

2 heads of Cauliflower, chopped

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Paprika

Shallots

Low Sodium Vegetable Broth (about 1 litre)

Chopped Chives

Unhealthy topping..such as cooked bacon or pancetta

In a large roasting pan, toss cauliflower with olive oil, paprika, salt and pepper.  Place the pan in a pre-heated oven (400F) and roast for 30-40 minutes or until nice and carmalized and cooked through. For the last 10 minutes of cooking time I add the chopped shallots so they don’t burn.

Take the cauliflower in batches and run it through your blender or food processer until smooth.

 I add a little veggie broth to get the blender going. Pour the puree into a pot with the rest of the broth.

 Add more seasoning to taste and chives. Simmer until heated through. 

Serve into bowls and top with Bacon or Panchetta. YUM!