November has been a historic and wild month for us Americans. The political scene has made for an emotional rollercoaster and a myriad of distractions. Now that the election is over, I hope for peace, kindness, inclusion, compassion and for love to prevail. As John Lennon said in his song Imagine, “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one”.
Summer seemed to hang on in Colorado, stretching its long arms to embrace the fall season, giving us only the slightest hint of cooler days to come. Eighty degrees yesterday, but today will bring snow. This is how the weather rolls in the Rockies.
After what has felt like months without a day off, today I can relax, cook, watch the snow fall from the warmth of our cozy birdhouse of a home.
Southwest Butternut Squash Soup
With simple ingredients on hand and savory spices, I’m making this beautiful Southwest Butternut Squash Soup for dinner. This is a wonderful, easy, make-ahead starter dish for Thanksgiving. Dress it up with a dollop of sour cream, some homemade herbed croutons, or garnish it with fresh herbs and serve as a delicious gluten-free and vegan soup.
- 1 butternut squash (approx. 2 ½ -3 cups cooked squash)
- 1 cup onion, chopped coarsely
- ½ red pepper (heaping ¼ cup cooked)
- ½ poblano pepper (1/4 cup cooked)
- 3 cups water
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.
- Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add onions.
- Sautee for five minutes, add garlic and cumin and cook for a few minutes until onions are translucent. Remove from heat.
- Cut butternut squash in half and remove seeds.
- Place the squash and peppers, cut side down, on a foil lined baking sheet that has been brushed or sprayed with a little olive oil.
- Roast the peppers for 25-30 minutes and the squash for 45 minutes.
- Once the squash is cool enough to handle, scoop the insides out and place in the pan with the onions and garlic.
- Turn the heat back on to medium and add the water.
- Simmer the vegetables for 10 minutes and then puree until smooth with an immersion blender, blender or food processor.
- Remove the skin from the peppers and cut into a medium dice.
- Add the peppers, fresh sage, salt and pepper to the soup and stir.
- Add additional water if soup seems too thick.
- Season to taste with salt, pepper and cumin as needed.
- Serve with fresh herbs, sour cream and herbed croutons as desired.
Enjoy!
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