Butternut Squash Soup

I helped my mother at her synagogue's annual craft fair last year. We worked in Cafe Shalom feeding the hungry artists and patrons of the fair. In addition to the chili, sandwiches, and salads we had a delicious butternut squash soup. My mom sent me the recipe to tweak for Thanksgiving.

Sopa de Abóbora e Coco is a Brazilian style Coconut Butternut Squash soup that is very popular in the summer months and makes for a great soup for the fall as well.

1 lb. butternut squash
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon earth balance
1 onion chopped
1 large sweet potato
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
4 cups vegetable stock
1 cup coconut milk
2 teaspoon lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preparing the butternut squash and sweet potato by peeling and chopping into evenly sized cubes.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook, stirring, until the onion has softened.

Add the squash, sweet potatoes, cumin, cinnamon, and sugar to the saucepan and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are lightly browned.

Add the vegetable stock, then simmer vegetables over low heat until they are tender, about 15 minutes.

Once the squash and sweet potatoes are cooked through, use a spoon to add them to a blender. Add coconut milk and lime juice to the blender and process until it’s smooth. (Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender to blend the soup).

Add blended mixture back to the saucepan and whisk gently over low heat until evenly heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.