Squash Soup

Last year was the first time I started experimenting with pureed soups. I wanted to see if I could make a soup that was just as good as the ones that come from the cartons in the stores without the added fats and preservatives. First I started with squash soup, then carrot and pumpkin. The other night we had some left over squash in the fridge that needed to be used up so I decided to get creative again and see what I could come up with.

Its not a recipe but an expression of creativity until you get the right taste. So get creative and start inventing your own soups.

Squash Soup (the photo above is not from my soup it was used from www.iliveonafarm.com)

1. Start with a large pot. That is approximately 1/2 full of water. I use the water as the puree juice instead of adding cream or milk. That way the nutrients from the vegetables are not lost. If you have chicken stock that can work just as well.

2. Then Add:
Onion chopped in half
2-3 cloves of garlic
2 potatoes (peeled and diced)
4-5 carrots (I added more carrots this time just cause I had to use them up)
1/4 - 1/2 butternut squash ( I can't remember how much I used)
1-2 Tbsp flaked Coconut

3. Spice the soup up while boiling with curry powder, cumin, vegetable cube, salt, pepper, cinnamon or any other spice you think would taste delicious.

4. Let mixture boil until vegetables are soft. Since they are going to be pureed you can let them be as soft as you would like.

5. Puree soup. To do this I add a cup or two at a time into my blender with the juice that is still in the pot. I puree for a minute or so then transfer the puree into another pot thats one the stove. I continue to do this until all the soup as been pureed then heat the puree up and spice to taste adding more of the above spices until you reach the taste you desire.


Note: I have found that curry and coconut taste great with squash or pumpkin soup while pecans or walnuts give pureed carrot soup a wonderful flavor. I usually do not add the nuts to the soup until the puree process after I have toasted them in a sauce pan to bring out their rich flavor. Let me know of other pureed soups you have tried ( I love to find a good broccoli cheddar soup) or what spices you like to add to your soups.