Spiced Fall Harvest Soup

After several months (including well into October) of 90+ temps, it’s finally cool enough for me to use my oven again! I decided I wanted to warm up with some sweet and spicy soup. Since this is just blended and not strained, it’s a nice thick and rich soup that’s great for eating on its own, or it could make a nice sauce over chicken and rice.

Ingredients:

• 1 small Butternut Squash

• 1 sweet potato

• 1 carrot

• 1 can Coconut Milk 

• 2 Red Onions

• 3 Bell Peppers

• 3 heads of Garlic

• 1 cup of Cherry Tomatoes

• 1 tsp Fresh Ginger (grated)

Olive Oil enough to drizzle over vegetables

Seasoning:

• 1 tsp Black Pepper

• 1 tsp Ground Cumin

• 1 tsp Paprika

• 1 tsp Dried Thyme

• 1 tsp Dried Rosemary

• 1 tsp Ground chili peppers (I used Aleppo)

• 1 tsp Garam masala

• 1 tsp Ras al hanout

Preheat the Oven: Set your oven to 375°

• Prepare the Vegetables: Peel and chop the squash and sweet potato. Try to get them about the same size so they cook evenly. Pull off most of the paper from the garlic and cut off the sprouting ends-you’ll squeeze the garlic out after it roasts so you don’t need to peel it completely. Peel and cut the onions into wedges. Core the peppers and cut them in half. Peel the carrot and cut into segments about even to the squash.

• Season the Vegetables: You may need to do this in batches so they’re evenly coated. Put the vegetables in a large bowl and drizzle with oil and toss so they’re evenly coated with oil. Add the seasonings (pepper, cumin, paprika, thyme, rosemary, and chili flakes) to the vegetables and toss again.Spread the vegetables onto a baking pan; putting down foil or a silpat first will make cleaning easier later. Spread the veg out- if they touch, they won’t caramelize as well. You may have to cook in batches too. When all the vegetables are in the pan, cover with aluminum foil.

• Roasting: Roast for about 1 hour and fork-test them to see if they’re golden and soft inside. If they aren’t, let them roast for 30 minute increments and test until they’re done. Once the vegetables are soft, remove the aluminum foil from the top and roast for 10-20 more minutes to allow the vegetables to caramelize slightly.

• Blending: Once roasted, remove the garlic and transfer all the other vegetables to a blender. Squeeze the garlic out of the paper into the blender.  Add the water and ginger, and blend until smooth and creamy.

• Cooking the Soup: Pour the blended mixture into a pot and place it on medium heat. Stir in the coconut milk and cook for about 2 minutes, allowing everything to warm through.

• Final Touch: Adjust the seasonings to your taste. Garnish with fresh cilantro, a drizzle of sour cream or yogurt, roasted pumpkin seeds, and a pinch of chili flakes if desired.