It's Squash Time!

I absolutely love this time of year. Harvest time :) When all the different delicious squashes come on.  My favorite I must admit is butternut squash.  So many different types of dishes you can do with this. So I decided to look up a squash recipe and found this one and made a few tweaks here and there to make it a little more healthy.

Prep Time: 15 minutes 

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 large butternut squash (about 4 1/2 lbs.) or 4 lbs. peeled and cubed butternut squash
• 1 medium onions
• 3 apples peeled, cored and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic (optional)
• 3 Tbsp. butter or coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt plus more to taste
• 8 cups chicken or vegetable broth

Preparation:

1. Halve, seed, and peel the squash.  Put in large pot of boiling water and boil until soft (about 30 minutes).  Drain water once cooked and add the chicken broth
2. Halve, peel, and chop the onion and the apple. Mince the garlic, if you like.
3. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter or oil and the chopped onion. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
5. Add the onion garlic apple mixture into the pot with squash and the broth. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer for a few minutes.
6. Transfer small batches to a blender. Hold a kitchen towel over the top (to prevent burns) and whirl until completely and utterly smooth, 2 to 3 minutes per batch.
7. Return the soup to the pot and add more salt to taste.

Makes 4 to 6 servings Perfect Butternut Squash Soup.

I added a little side to go with the soup

Caramel Apple Sauce 

(to drizzle on top of soup) (the more you add the sweeter the soup tastes)

-2 Tbsp Coconut oil

-1/3 cup pure maple syrup

-2 apples peeled, cored, and chopped

Directions

In vitamix or food processor blend up apples and maple syrup.  Heat coconut oil in pan and add maple apple mixture.  Let reduce about 10 minutes.  Drizzle on top of soup for a sweet punch!