Spicy Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

I decided to celebrate the First Day of Fall by making my first homemade soup of the season!  And a good soup day it was…. gloomy, wet, and quite cool for our little corner of the World for this time of year.

It was like Summer was bidding us a very tearful goodbye!

The Captain has been purchasing lovely locally-grown squashes and sweet potatoes for me this past couple of weeks so I selected a butternut squash for my soup… and then decided to add some sweet potato, too, for a bit of extra thickness, rich color, and of course, great taste!  You know I love me some orange YAM!
I am going to share the proportions and the method I used, but I know you will adjust it to suit your own dietary needs and tastes.  Whenever I make these types of soups, I use the same method…. it’s only the ingredients and spices that tend to change.

And I was fortunate to have some homemade turkey stock on hand today so of course I used that, too.

Spicy Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup
Makes 8 one-cup servings

• 1 Tbs coconut oil
• 1 cup sliced white onion (6 oz.)
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and minced
• 5 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks (1-1/2 lb.)
• 2 cups sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks (9 oz.)
• 4 cups turkey or chicken broth
• healthy/liberal sprinkling of dried ginger and nutmeg

1. Place coconut oil in a large saucepan over MEDIUM heat and sauté onion and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Add squash, sweet potatoes and saute a few minutes more.
3. Add several sprinkles of ginger and nutmeg, stir into veggies,  and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add broth broth. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and when cooled, blend until smooth with immersion blender.
6. Reheat, to serve, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
7. Garnish with fat free sour cream or Greek yogurt if you like.

Per 1-cup serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 3. Not including garnish.
Calories 102 ; Protein 3g; Carbohydrate 20g; Fat 2g; Fibre 3g
 

Cook the onions and garlic till just translucent, not browned.

Add the sweet potato and squash to the pot.

Cook for about half an hour and then let cool.

Puree.  An immersion blender is a very good tool for this job.

Creamy and thick and quite delicious!

Printable Recipe

Do like to make homemade soups, too?  What is your favorite?

Roasted Squash and Protein Sludge Bowl

I love squashes of all kinds and I am happy that we can purchase them all year long… but in my little corner of the world, we can buy locally grown in the Fall.

And they taste so much better! Kabochas (you may call them Buttercup), Acorns, Delicatas, Butternuts, and Spaghettis... love them ALL.

I like to have some every day and can make a meal of them… but I have learned that I do need to have some protein at every meal, too, not just carbs.  So I have had this tasty little concoction for dinner a few times lately and thought I would share it with you.

It is basically just some cut up squash, spritzed with EVOO and sprinkled with cinnamon, roasted in the oven and then topped with nut butter, hemp seeds, and a protein powder sludge.  Delicious.  Filling.  Good for you!  What could be better?

And my handy dandy little oil sprayer is the perfect tool for this job.

I have done it with kabocha squash, and with butternut squash, and later today I will be having some with acorn squash.  Think I may try it with chocolate protein powder, too.

Roasted Squash and Protein Sludge Bowl
Makes 1 serving

• Squash of your choice, enough for 1 meal size serving… this could be 1/2 acorn squash, 1/2 butternut squash or about 1/4 of a kabocha squash, about 2 cups
• 1 tsp olive oil
• sprinkle of cinnamon
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 2 Tbs almond milk
• 1 Tbs almond butter
• 1 Tbs hemp seeds

1. Preheat your oven to 375° F.
2. Wash the squash and then cut it into large chunks. You can remove the peel at this point if you will not eat it.
3. Place squash pieces on roasting pan, cut side up. Spray them with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with cinnamon.
4. Bake for 45 minutes or until soft.
5. Meanwhile mix protein powder and milk in a small bowl or measure cup to make a sludge.
6. Place the cooked squash pieces in a serving bowl. Drizzle the protein powder mixture over the top.  Spoon the almond butter over the top. Sprinkle the hemp seeds over everything.
7. Serve warm.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 10.
Calories 388; Protein 32g; Carbohydrate 39g; Fat 14g; Fibre 9g.

The N.I. will depend on the ingredients you select, of course, but this is my calculation for the kabocha squash and vanilla whey protein as illustrated.

You could certainly  make a smaller version for lunch, or use less nut butter if you like.  I hope you will get creative with your own bowl!

I like to roast a whole kabocha at a time; then I will have some already cooked for egg scrambles, and salads, and snacks.

This one was done with peeled butternut squash.

Are you a squash fan?  What is your favorite kind?

Pin It Party

So fun to be taking part in this edition of Lindsay’s Pin It Party!

Are you following me on Pinterest? If not CLICK HERE.  And please leave a comment where I can find you too!

Here are 5 of my posts that I would love to see pinned:

I have made it very easy for you… if you click on the picture itself, you will be linked to my own Pin of the recipe.  If you click on the text below the picture, you will be linked to the recipe on my blog.

How to prepare a fresh pineapple and some great ideas how to use it!

Frozen Protein Bites

Egg Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

  

Low carb Microwave Flax Pizza Crust

Mango Jicama Chicken Salad on Spinach

Enjoy the Pin It Party! I know we are all going to find some great new ideas to try and share!

Pin Away...