Savory Butternut Squash Soup: Yummy! I love Fall food :)

Monday, October 17th: Savory Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 Butternut Squash, chopped
• 2 Sweet Potatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup Carrots, chopped
• 1/2 cup Onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup Celery, chopped
• 2 cups Chicken Broth
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3/4 cup Butter
• 3 tbsp fresh Sage, diced
• 3 tbsp Seasoning blend (approx. 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp fennel, 1 tsp coriander…blended finely together)
• 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/4 cup dark Molasses
• 3 tbsp white sugar
• 1/2 cup cream or milk (optional)

1. Pre-Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut squash, sweet potatoes, and carrots into 1 inch pieces. Meanwhile melt butter over medium heat, and add Balsamic Vinegar, molasses, sugar, and sage to melted butter.
3. Add diced veggies to sauce mixture. Season with your special seasoning blend, salt and pepper. (if you don’t have all of the spices for the seasoning blend, the most important flavors are cumin, chili powder and cinnamon)
4. Saute Veggies in mixture for about 2 minutes or until evenly coated. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until tender.
5. Pour 1/2 cup olive oil into a dutch oven, saute onions and celery with the cinnamon stick, salt and pepper. Once tender, remove cinnamon stick and add chicken broth.
6. Take squash mixture out of the oven and add to the dutch oven. Let simmer for 15 minutes (or until flavors are well combined).
7. This step is optional…you can chose to serve it hardy as is or ladle veggies and broth mixture into a blender add a dash (1/4 cup) cream and blend. Repeat until all the soup is blended.

Shopping List:

• Butternut Squash (Albertsons, $0.79/lb)
• Sweet Potatoes (HMart seems to be the cheapest, about $0.39/lb)
• Carrots (QFC, $1.00 each)
• Onions (Albertsons, $1.29/lb or HMart)
• Celery
• Chicken Broth (Albertsons, Swanson’s Chicken Broth $3.29…use $1/2 Swanson Broth or Stock Carton printable, double coupon….Final Cost: $2.79)
• Seasonings