First Day of Fall!! / Butternut Squash & Apple Soup

Ahhh! Late September...One of My Favourite Seasons (I'd say Summer and Fall are tied for 1st!) Love everything about Autumn - makes me very happy.

We tend to get the best weather in September and October...bright sunny blue skies and crisp mornings and evenings. A great time for soup....

Butternut Squash/ Apple Soup 

I usually tend to roast my squash in the oven for an hour before I use it in my soup... gives it a lovely deep earthy flavour. But for this soup, I wanted it to be lighter with a tiny kiss of sweetness from Ontario's delicious apple harvest. 

1 butternut squash, seeds removed and diced into chunks

2 apples, peeled and diced (I used Idareds from the Leslieville Farmer's Mkt)

2 tbl olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

splash of white wine for deglazing

1 can of coconut milk

spice mixture: 11/2 tsp coriander seeds, 1 1/2tsp cumin - toasted and then crushed in a pestle and morter

5 cups of chicken stock

s and p

Method: In a dutch oven, heat olive oil over med high heat and add diced onions. Soften for 3 mins or until translucent. Add the spice mixture to the onions and saute for a minute or so until spices are aromatic and onions are browning. Deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine and scrape any browned bits from the pans surface. Add the squash and apple. Stir for a minute to combine and then add the coconut milk. After another miute, add the chicken stock, bring to soft boil, cover and lower heat to simmer for 45 mins. Use a hand blender to blend the soup and then season with salt and pepper.

 ENJOY!!

 Save a wee bit of the spice mixture to sprinkle on the top of the soup to serve. :)

 

I like to use the lower fat version of the coconut milk which can often be super high in fat/calories.

 

Bon Appetit! and Happy Fall!