Butternut Squash Soup

To make this soup, I bake the squash hours before hand and let it cool down so we can easily remove the skin with our hands and scoop out every bit of the squash from its skin. I save the seeds, wash them so they have no more squash pulp on them, soak them in boiling water for 1 minute so they get softer, and then bake them in the oven with a little salt until they are dry and crunchy. When I’m ready to serve the soup, I put out little side dishes of steamed beets and avocado and add them to the soup. The heat of the soup brings out the deep red or purple color of the beets when it blends into the hot soup, making it look like a beautiful sunset.

INGREDIENTS 1 butternut squash

1⁄2 Onion 2-3 cloves Garlic 3 tbsp Olive oil 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

4 cups water 1 tsp Cumin 1 tsp Italian herbs

1⁄2 tsp Salt 1⁄4 tsp black Pepper

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2) Place the butternut squash on a baking sheet, and bake it until tender. Once cooked, set the squash aside and allow it to cool to room temperature.

3) Cut up the onions and garlic, and sauté them with the olive oil in a cooking pot.

4) Chop up the celery, potatoes, and carrots finely, and add them to the olive oil sauté.

5) Add the cumin, Italian herbs, salt and pepper to the sauté.

6) Cut the squash into cubes and add them to the pan.

7) Allow the ingredients to simmer for 5 minutes. Stir the ingredients frequently and gently.

8) Add the chicken broth and water to the pot.

9) Cook all the ingredients on a low flame for 2-3 hours.

10) Once cooked, let the soup cool.

11) Place the soup in a blender and blend until smooth.

12) Pour the creamy butternut squash soup back into the pot and heat for 5 minutes.