Butternut Squash Soup with Spiced Pumpkin Seeds and Coconut Yogurt Garnish

This soup is a balance of savory and spiced, with a touch of sweetness. I like the addition of turkey bacon to make it feel like a complete meal, but it is by no means necessary and would be delicious without. No bacon and replacing the chicken broth with vegetable broth would make it Vegan.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 whole Butternut squash, halved

• 1 apple, halved with skin left on

• Olive oil

• Salt

• Pepper

• 1 yellow onion, peeled and halved

• 3 carrots, I used rainbow carrots

• 5 garlic cloves, peeled

• 4 cups of chicken broth (or vegetable broth for Vegan)

• A few sprigs of fresh Rosemary

• A few sprigs of fresh Thyme

• 1/2 tsp dried ground Sage

• 1 tblspn Cinnamon

• 1/2 tblspn Turmeric

• 1/2 tsp Nutmeg

• 1 pinch Cayenne (or more if you like spicy)

• 1 tblspn Miyoko's Vegan Butter (optional)

Optional Garnishes:

• Turkey bacon, cooked crispy and chopped

• Coconut Yogurt (I used Culina Plain)

• Pumpkin seeds or squash seeds, toasted and spiced with cinnamon and vegan butter

STEPS

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Wash and dry the Butternut squash. Cut in half lengthwise and remove the seeds (you can bake these seeds so e-mail me if you want this recipe). Place the squash on a baking sheet with parchment paper and drizzle olive oil all over including on the skin side. Season with salt, pepper and fresh rosemary and thyme (see photo below). Also, place your apple, onion, carrots and garlic on this same baking sheet. Bake the apple and garlic for 20 minutes, remove and set aside. Bake everything else for 40 minutes.

3. Once everything finishes baking allow to cool. Once it has cooled slightly, scoop the squash away from skin and put in a Vitamix or food processor. I would do this in 2 batches, half of the ingredients plus 2 cups of chicken broth per batch. Blend and pour into a large pot to warm. I added all spices directly to the Vitamix and you can always add more into the soup to taste.

4. At the same time you can toast your pumpkin seeds on the stove on medium heat with a little vegan butter and cinnamon. Continue stirring as the seeds brown. You want them to be light brown and smell fragrant.

5. After blending, heat your soup on the stovetop on medium-low. Stir in your Vegan butter as it warms. Once it is warmed to your liking, put in bowls, garnish and serve. Enjoy!