Autumn Soup

I would have not survived without this gem in my Dairy Free days:

by Alisa Fleming

There are at least two recipes in here that will be staples in my family even though I am no longer Dairy Free. One of which is this delicious soup recipe. It is a little time intensive, but FULL of VEGGIES!!:

Spiced Autumn Soup

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2/3 Cup Minced Onion
2 to 4 Garlic cloves
1/2 tsp. Ground Ginger
1/4 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
1/8 tsp. Ground Cloves
1/8 tsp. Ground Cardamom
3 Cups Vegetable Broth
1/4 tsp. Salt
8 Ounces Cubed Butternut Squash
1 Cup Baby Carrots
2/3 Cup Canned Pumpkin Puree
1 Cup Milk Alternative (again I used Rice milk)
Freshly Ground Pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add onion and saute about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic, and continue to saute another minute. Add ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and cardamom, and saute an additional minute. Stir in broth, salt, squash, and carrots and bring everything to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and allow the soup to simmer until veggies are quite soft (about 15-20 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in the pumpkin. Using an immersion blender (I just used a regular old blender), puree the soup, or transfer to the blender in batches and puree until smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes. Return the soup to your pot, stir in the milk alternative, and heat it to your desired temperature. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.

ps-butternut squash is a pain to cut, but it is so worth it in the end. Maybe I'll post later on how I cut one of those suckers!! :)