Curried Squash - Sweet Potato Soup

I really didn't fall off the face of the earth - I just wasn't in the mood to post anything last week. Maybe my lethargy is a remnant of the post-marathon slump, coupled with the shortened daylight hours.

I've also been busy most evenings traversing town, taking my son to and from Driver's Ed class. Oh, wait, I'm not doing the driving - I'm being driven around town by my newly minted, driver's permitted Boy. So maybe I'm just too stressed to do anything but sit on the couch afterwards.

OK, he's not that bad a driver, I'm just super high strung when I think he's going to hit another car (that's not happened)....or spin out the back end of the car when taking a turn too fast (yes, that has happened).

Deep cleansing breath....

Enough of my random blabbering - the real purpose of this post is a recipe for this luscious soup I conjured up.



Butternut squash and Sweet potatoes - two of my favorite foods - melded together.

(I got in the habit of consuming one entire butternut squash and one-two sweet potatoes each week last winter while in marathon training mode - they are great sources of carbohydrates, fiber and of course, that orange beta carotene)

This recipe is my own, but I was inspired by Panera Bread's current menu offering of Autumn Squash Soup and a recipe for Curried Sweet Potato Soup in Runner's World Magazine.

Ingredients:
One Butternut Squash, peeled, seeds removed and cut into 1" pieces
One medium Sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
One medium onion, roughly diced
Two cloves of garlic, smashed
One half apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1" pieces (I used a Honeycrisp because we love them)
3 - 4 C chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 C White wine (optional)
1 T Curry powder
1/2 C half and half

Preparation:
Add the squash, potato, onion, garlic, apple, 3 C of broth, white wine and curry powder to a large stock pot. Bring to a boil then simmer, covered for about 40-50 minutes, or until the veggies are soft and mushy. Blend the soup in batches if using a blender (I use an immersion blender - right in the pot) until nice and smooth.

Stir in the Half and Half and simmer until heated through, adding more broth / water if needed. (I like my soup on the thick side, so add more liquid to suit your taste)

I serve the soup topped with crumbled goat cheese and pumpkin seeds, and a side of crusty bread. I bet if you sprinkled on dried cranberries, that would be super pretty and tasty, too!

Since I'm the only one in the house that remotely likes butternut squash, sweet potatoes or any orange colored vegetable, I had plenty of leftovers. The soup keeps wonderfully, the flavors developing more fully after sitting overnight. I'm guessing it will freeze well, too, so make a big double batch and freeze the remaining portion for a quick and easy future meal.