Paleo, Soup, Vegan

Butternut Squash & Lentil Soup

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Butternut Squash and Lentil Soup

 

I must have mentioned about a zillion times that I love soup but I’ll say it again, I love soup! It is the most comforting meal for me.  Creamy soups are my favorite, but anything warm and full of flavor works too.  Plus it’s fall, so that means festive herbs and spices and lots of different types of squash.  I think my very first recipe on this site was a butternut squash recipe.  When it’s in season I include it in my meals at least a couple times a week.  I pick up the pre-cut bags of butternut squash from Trader Joe’s and keep them in the fridge.

In my kitchen butternut squash gets pureed, chopped, steamed, roasted, and just plain cooked a lot.  Most of the time I like to steam it and add olive oil and a little Parmesan cheese or I’ll pour a pasta sauce over it with chicken on the side.  Butternut squash is filling which is nice, however doesn’t make you feel like you’re having a heavy meal.  The only thing is that I’m the only one in the house that will eat butternut squash any which way.  My girls and my husband prefer it oven roasted with lots of garlic.  Not that I can blame them!

Last week the hubby was traveling which meant I didn’t have to worry about making something he would want to eat.  I know that sounds horrible, but I’m sure some of you can empathize!  Anyhow, I wanted soup so I made soup.  There needed to be some protein in there and it was veggie Monday, so that’s where the lentils came in.  The soup still looked a little bare with just the butternut squash and lentils so in went the spinach.  After the garlic and herbs and spices were added in, it was delicious!  All of the fabulous flavors of fall!

 

Butternut Squash and Lentil Soup 01

 

*Makes about 4 servings

Ingredients

1 cup water

1 15oz bag butternut squash, cut into pieces

1/4 cup lentils

2 cups chopped spinach

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp oregano

1/2 cup almond milk

salt and pepper to taste

 

Method

The bags of cut butternut squash are great, but the pieces are pretty big so sometimes I cut them into smaller pieces. For this soup I cut each chunk into 2 or 3 pieces because I wanted them to be small enough to get picked up in a spoon.  It cooks a lot quicker this way too!

After you’ve cut the butternut squash and rinsed your lentils add 1 cup water, butternut squash, lentils, spinach, thyme, and oregano to a medium sized pot and bring to a boil on high heat.  Once it starts to boil, turn the stove down to medium/low heat and let the ingredients simmer until the squash and lentils are cooked.  This takes about 20 minutes.

Stir in the almond milk salt and pepper.  Leave the lid off the pot and let it simmer another 5 minutes to let it soak up the almond milk.  Scoop into a nice big soup bowl and eat away!

 

 

 

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Paleo, Soup, Vegan

Yellow Squash & Carrot Soup

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Yellow Squash and Carrot Soup

In most of the country the leaves on the trees are turning the wonderfully warm colors of orange, golden yellow, red, and brown.  The mornings are brisk and fireplaces are being lit in the evening.  Here in southern California however, it’s still 90 degrees!  We wake up sweating in the morning and go to bed with the AC on.  I’m not complaining but I would not mind some soup and sweater weather.  Soup is my favorite!  As soon as the weather cools down I’ll be making soup a few times a week.  That’s the main reason I wanted a vitamix.

Fall is my favorite season!  The leaves falling from the trees, the cooler weather, all the comfort food!  It’s the best!  It’s beautiful on the east coast, but fall has it’s charm in California too.  There’s Thanksgiving and all the cinnamon and nutmeg, an array of pumpkins and squash, and I get to bust out all my sweaters and long sleeves.  It’s really mostly about the food!  Isn’t everything??

I am obviously ready for fall, and I didn’t want to wait for the weather to catch up so soup started making an appearance in my kitchen when it was literally 100 degrees outside.  It started with some butternut squash and apple soup and then some coconut curry soup.  This last time though I had some yellow squash in the fridge and added some carrots in the pot just because it sounded good.  I make yellow squash soup a lot in the fall and winter but not usually with carrots.  Carrots are just so pretty and orange and they add a lovely sweet flavor to things.

Everything said and done, the yellow squash and carrot soup was delicious!  Creamy with lovely flavor and just a touch of sweetness.  I had the left overs with some sauteed mushrooms and chicken sausage that you’ll see in some of the pictures.  Bacon and sausage are always a welcome topping to a sweet and savory soup!

 

Yellow Squash and Carrot Soup 03

 

Yello Squash and carrot soup 04

 

Ingredients

1 cup water

2 organic yellow squash, cut into slices

1 cup organic baby carrots, sliced in half

1 onion, cut into four pieces

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 cup almond milk

salt and pepper to taste

 

Method

Pour 1 cup water, the yellow squash, baby carrots, and onion pieces into a medium sized pot.  Place the lid on top and bring it to a boil on medium/high heat.  Once the water starts to boil, turn the temperature down to low heat and let it lightly boil for 20 minutes.

Remove the pot from heat and let it cool to about room temperature.  Once it has cooled, pour the cooked vegetables into a blender.  Keep the pot you used to cook the veggies handy though.  Add the cumin and almond milk and blend until it’s nice and creamy.  Add salt and pepper to taste and return the soup to the pot you used earlier to reheat it for serving.  Heat on medium heat until it starts to boil then turn off the heat.  It’s ready to be served when you are!

Whether it’s crazy hot outside where you are or crisp and cool, I hope you enjoy this cozy squash and carrot soup!

 

Yellow Squash and Carrot Soup 02

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Soup

Butternut Squash Soup

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Butternut Squash Soup
Butternut Squash Soup

I eat some form of butternut squash at least twice a week while its in season, but this is my favorite! Its savory, simple, and absolutely delicious.  Butternut squash has such a wonderful flavor on its own that not much needs to be added to it.  Most markets carry it pre-cut either fresh or frozen.

This soup makes a wonderfully light dinner or appetizer.  I love it on its own, but its also a great addition to chicken, salad, garlic bread, and a variety of other dishes.

 

Ingredients

12 oz cut Butternut Squash

1/4 cup Water

1/2 cup Milk (dairy or almond)

1 clove garlic

1/2 of an onion

Salt

Cayenne Pepper

Olive oil

Pumpkin Seeds (for garnish)

 

Method

Add 1/4 cup water to butternut squash, onion, and garlic. Bring to a boil. Turn down to low heat and let simmer until the squash is fully cooked.  Let squash cool.  Blend together cooked ingredients and your milk of choice  You can use a blender, Magic Bullet, food processor, or hand mixer to do so.  Pour the blended mixture back into the pot.  Heat on medium until soup is warm. Add salt and cayenne pepper to taste, and its ready to serve.  Top with a sprinkle of the pumpkin seeds and a drizzle of olive oil.  Bon apetit!

 

 

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