Roasted Butternut Squash Soup - Dairy Free

My first day as a 29 year old started out on a very high note. My husband and I went to a farm in Caledon with two of our friends, and spent the day wading through swarms of sugar-happy children and bright orange pumpkins. The farm had an apple orchard, so to our pleasant surprise we got to partake in some apple picking, a favorite fall activity of mine. This particular orchard had empire, ambrosia, spy, and gala apples, which are great both as a hand food and for baking and cooking with. You really never know what you’re going to get - an orchard full of Mcintosh apples and you’ll end up making pies for a month. I personally love ugly green apples, like Russet, and those of the cidery tasting varieties, like spy, spartan, and cortland. Brandon favors the crunchy, sweet apples, like gala, fuji, and jazz.

In addition to a kilo of mixed, hand-picked apples, we bought several types squash. Brandon loves butternut squash soup (as do I), so I put together a recipe in the wee hours this morning. Who wakes up at 6 am to make squash soup? This girl! I can tell you one thing, it might take time and effort, but I will never regret having a warm bowl of hearty soup for breakfast on a cold day. This is a recipe I’ve made a million times, so I’m happy to finally be sharing it with you.

This recipe is free from the top 8 allergens (excluding coconut, which is not classified as a nut in Canada) - dairy-free, peanut-free, nut-free, soy-free, egg-free, wheat and gluten-free, fish and shellfish-free, suitable for vegans and vegetarians.

Ingredients
1 medium sized butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground sage
salt and pepper to taste
1 shallot, roughly diced
3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1 large apple, preferably of the cider-y variety, such as spy, spartan, or cortland, peeled, seeded, and quartered
1 yellow flesh potato, peeled and roughly diced (about 1 cup)
1/3 cup orange juice
4 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
Optional: 1/4 cup creamed coconut, or coconut fat

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Spread the squash out evenly and drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Mix it up with your hands to evenly coat. Sprinkle with the cinnamon, sage, salt, and pepper. Roast at 400F for 45 minutes, or until golden brown.

Sautee the shallot, garlic, and remaining olive oil until softened. Season with salt and pepper. Add the roasted squash, apple, potato, orange juice, and water, and bring to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and let simmer for 45 minutes with the lid off. If adding coconut, melt it into the soup at the very end, over medium heat, until completely dissolved. Puree the soup with an immersion blender or a heat-safe blender, until smooth. Spoon into bowls and garnish with any of the seasonings from the list below, or enjoy it as is.

For serving:
shelled pumpkin seeds, such as Super Seedz
ground cinnamon
ground cardamom
drizzle of maple syrup or olive oil
slices of fresh apple
freshly ground black pepper
coarse salt

Serves 4 as a starter, or 2 as a main dish