A bright Butternut Squash Soup recipe that is vegan, dairy-free, super creamy and easy to prepare. Cuddle up with a cup on a cold fall night or serve it on your holiday dinner tables. Butternut squash is low in fat, rich in dietary fiber and provides high amounts of potassium, important for bone health, and vitamin B6, which supports both the nervous and immune systems.

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/2 onion diced
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon minced young ginger
• 2 teaspoons crushed New Mexico Hatch chile
• 2 teaspoons Golden Turmeric
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves chopped plus more for garnish
• Pink salt
• 1 can coconut milk
• Juice from one lime
• 2 tablespoons miso paste

Instructions

Peel the squash, cut it in half lengthwise, and discard the seeds. Remove the rounded seed-end of the squash from the neck and place it over simmering water and steam until tender. Cut the neck of the squash into 1/2-inch cubes.

Heat the coconut oil in a soup pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, squash, ginger and cook for a few minutes, stirring to coat the vegetables with oil. Add the Hatch chile pepper, Golden Turmeric, chopped cilantro and a pinch of pink salt.

Stir for a few minutes more then add the coconut milk and 2 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook until the squash is tender.

Meanwhile, when the seed-end of the squash is done steaming, puree it with 1 cup of liquid from the soup until thick and creamy. Stir the puree into the soup, taste for salt, and season with lime juice. While the soup is still warm, swirl in the miso paste and garnish with sprouts, pumpkin seeds, and pomegranates. 

Adapted from the book Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Madison