Sunday Soup: Spiced Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

This is my last day of "freedom" before all of my college classes begin: Two education classes at UVM, one Special Ed class at CCV, and an Earth science class at CCV. 

Starting tomorrow, Tom and I will need a lot of easy meals. We're both in our busy season and I have a feeling there won't be much time to cook. Below is a quick Sunday soup recipe that doesn't require much work, perfect for all of the other busy people out there. The hardest part is cutting the butternut squash and making sure you have the top of the blender tightly secured before blending. 

This is a perfect winter soup that is full of flavor. Tom doesn't particularly enjoy squash, but did enjoy this dish. I got the recipe from Whole Living's list of 2012 detox, which means that not only does it taste really good, but everything in it is really good for you.

 Spiced Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Adapted from Whole Living

Ingredients

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tablespoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon cardamom

Pinch of ground cloves

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 Granny Smith apple

4 cups chopped butternut squash

3 cups water

salt and pepper

1. Heat olive oil in 5-6 quart pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook about 6-8 minutes. Add  spices and cook for about 1 minute. Add carrots, apple, squash, and 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil before lowering heat. Simmer, partly covered, for about 20 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

2. Pour soup into a blender and puree. You will need to divide the soup in half and do this twice. 

Enjoy!

Sunday Soup: Tomato Basil Parmesan

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I headed home for the day and it was great to catch up with the family. We ate an early meal for us (2:00 instead of 5:00) which was great because I needed those extra hours for digestion. I was full well before I could finish my plate and still didn't pass up apple-pie dessert. 

The week off from school was wonderful and it gave me many opportunities to try out new recipes over the vacation. Pinterest had my eye once again, this time a Tomato Basil Parmesan soup recipe from 365 Days of Slow Cooking. 

I used skim milk instead of half and half, but did add a little bit of heavy cream (I was too lazy to run out to the store for the half and half).The soup was delicious but probably would have been amazing had I used fresh basil. 

It's back to school for me tomorrow for another two weeks before I'm finished with the rest of the semester. Yikes!

P.S. Wilson turned two years old on Thanksgiving! 

Besides getting three new awesome toys, he got a photo shoot in his too-small Santa Suit. 

I think it's hilarious to watch him try to squirm his way out of it. 

Sunday Soup: Roasted Garlic Soup

Fact for the day: the Royal family DOES NOT eat garlic.

I'm not so sure I would be able to give up garlic if I was ever given the opportunity to marry into the family. I understand that they want to keep their breath fresh, but how on earth can you eat Italian food without the garlic?

Besides being tasty, garlic offers up some immunity during the cold months. One of Tom's roommates in college swore that eating a clove of raw garlic would help combat a cold. While I love garlic, I need to have it cooked. 

On Friday I opened up my new issue of Whole Living magazine and found a recipe for "30 Clove Garlic Soup" that not only looked really good, but seemed really easy. Yesterday, Tom and I hit up the Thanksgiving Farmer's Market at the high school and I picked up a few heads of garlic to roast. I changed the name of this recipe to "Roasted Garlic Soup" because locally grown garlic only has 4-5 cloves of garlic per head, unlike the supermarket versions. It makes peeling a lot easier!

This is such an easy recipe and it makes a really delicious bowl of soup. It was made even better by using chunks of Red Hen Waitsfield Common instead of a spoon to scoop up the creaminess. Just make sure you aren't getting too close to anyone that night and that you have a toothbrush nearby.

Question for the readers: What are your favorite winter soup recipes?

Roasted Garlic Soup

From Whole Living Magazine, December 2011 Issue

Ingredients

• 2 heads of garlic, halved crosswise
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 3 potatoes
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, more for serving
• Salt and pepper for taste

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Halve the heads of garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap them tightly in aluminum foil and roast for 40 minutes. Let cool. 
2. While garlic is roasting, prepare potatoes and place into pan with chicken stock. Remove cooled garlic cloves from papery skin and put into pot with chicken stock and potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 12 minutes (or until potatoes are tender). 
3. Remove pan from heat and add Parmesan. Let soup cool slightly. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle soup with remaining Parmesan and serve warm with bread. Soup can also be frozen in individual Tupperware for future use.