Spiced Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
Serves 6

Yes, I am fully aware that it is Thursday and I am just now posting my dinner from last Sunday. But give a girl a small break, work has been nothing short of ass kicking this week and I simply have not been able to make myself sit at the computer in my downtime. At any rate, I did want to share this soup with you. It was nice and easy to prepare and is a hearty, “meal” type soup. I did have to make some adjustments for it to suit my liking. I used low-sodium vegetable broth instead of water. I also ended up adding quite a bit more liquid than the recipe called for because it was super, super thick after I puréed it. I also added more of all the spices and was liberal with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 inch fresh ginger, grated (2 tablespoons)

1/2 teaspoons turmeric

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon cardamom

dash ground cloves

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 tart apple, peeled, quartered, and chopped

4 cups chopped butternut squash

coarse salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Step One: Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add carrots, apple, squash, and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil; cover partially and reduce to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

Step Two: Cook until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Step Three: Working in batches, puree until smooth in a blender. Adjust seasoning, if necessary.

Source: Whole Living, January/February 2012. View the recipe on WholeLiving.com.