Butternut Squash Soup (vegan, paleo)
Butternut squash can be a soothing ingredient to use during digestive flares. It’s easy to digest for most people who have IBD. It’s also a good source of complex carbohydrates, which are useful for many hormonal conditions. From a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective, winter squashes are useful in cases of gut imbalances and water retention. Your acupuncturist may recommend eating more of it if you have a wide variety of conditions such as endometriosis, fertility difficulties, or ongoing diarrhea. Butternut squash soup delivers this ingredient in a very easily digested form.
Winter squashes are always interesting to deal with. If I cut some everyday, I’ll end up looking like The Rock. Except with hair. All this to say that they require a bit of elbow grease to cut. I do have to say that butternut squash is easier to deal with than spaghetti squash. I should add that this recipe is not for you if you’re looking for 5 minute prep. I also have a recipe for carrot ginger butternut squash soup with more of a kick.
Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
1 medium butternut squash
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cups veggie broth
1 tbsp chili powder
A bit of oil for frying (optional)
Optional garnish: coconut milk and more chili powder
Directions
Start by peeling the squash until it becomes bright orange (you usually need to peel two layers). This can easily be done with a veggie peeler. The skin is pretty soft. Cut off both ends. Remove the seeds and the other goo inside. Slice crosswise into 1 inch slices, and chop the slices into 1 inch cubes.
Heat a bit of oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots. Toss around every so often until the veggies become fragrant and the onion and celery are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the other ingredients. Bring to a boil and cook until the squash is soft, about half an hour (depending on how big your pieces are). Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to puree the soup.
