It's that time of year

It is that time of year again.  The temperature begins to drop, it starts to get darker just a tab bit earlier and I need to locate all of my sweaters and finally say good bye to my tank tops.  It is soup season.  I love soup, all varieties.  I think it makes the perfect meal or side dish, and on a cold day there is really nothing more comforting than a warm bowl of soup as you relax in your favorite comfy chair or curl up on the couch while you catch up on DVR or read a good book.

Here is a SOUPer easy (hah I had to) butternut squash soup recipe that is creamy and filling.  Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds, a few pieces of popped popcorn, crumbled bacon, or you can even cut a grilled cheese sandwich into crouton size pieces and float those on top!  YUM

1 Butternut Squash
Olive Oil to drizzle (estimate 2 teaspoons)
1 Quart of Chicken Stock in a Box
1/2 Large Spanish Onion or 1 Medium diced
1 Palm of Paprika
1/2 Palm of Cumin
1/2 Palm of Cinnamon
1/2 Palm of Brown Sugar
1/8 Palm of Nutmeg (this is really just a generous pinch)
3 squeezes of Agave from the bottle (if you substitute honey do one at a time and adjust to your sweetness preference)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Splash of Half and Half

Start by cutting your butternut squash down the middle so you have two long pieces.  Drizzle with Olive Oil and sprinkle each half with salt, pepper, and brown sugar.  Bake at 350* for 30 minutes.  This will soften the squash enough for you to scoop it out of its skin.  Squash is such a odd shape and the skin is tough, I have tried peeling it first and I always get fed up so I switched to this method.  After 30 minutes let cool so you do not burn your fingertips.

In a pot on your stove top start to saute the onion, when they become translucent, add in your box of stock and the squash.  Do not worry about cutting the squash, as it boils in the stock it will continue to soften and you are going to either blend with an immersion blender or transfer to a blender to puree.  Add in your cumin, paprika, cinnamon, nutmeg and agave.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer cooking for about 30 minutes.  Blend and taste.  This is the time to add salt and pepper.  I swirled in just a splash of half and half at the end to give this already creamy soup a really luxurious texture and mouth feel.  Once pureed soup has cooled transfer to air tight safe tupperware for fridge/freezer storage.  Or of course you can eat right away!

All of the spices used are really warm and have great soft spiciness to them.  The initial squash flavor is sweet but as it settles in your mouth you are introduced to the smokiness of the paprika and cumin and the warmness of the cinnamon.  This soup is easy, really healthy (makes approx. 6 cups and each serving is 0 WW points - since it makes 6 servings and you are using so little of Oil and Half and Half, the fat content of each serving is extremely low) and SOUPer satisfying.  Until next time.. eat, laugh, love & enjoy!