Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup

Fall time- the leaves do their yearly dance with the wind, one last show before winter sets in. I think it's my favorite season! I know it can get cold and rainy. But imagine curling up on the couch, looking out over tree tops at dusk with the fading sunlight reflecting off the puddles of water, washing all those turned leaves in a shimmer of gold.

Are you still with me?

Last week we bought this beautiful butternut squash from our local farmer's market. I wanted to saute it in oodles of butter and eat as-is. Thankfully, good sense prevailed and I decided on a healthier soup. I still couldn't get the taste of butter out of my head so I decided to roast the squash with a thin rub of ghee (clarified butter) and salt. While I was at it, the 2 ripe red peppers in the fridge called out to me. I had a little extra 'rub' left, so I tossed them into the oven as well. The resulting roasted pieces were good enough to eat. But no! Off they went into the blender to become a satisfying soup that is very filling. I would serve this with a few crackers and not much else- it's a meal on it's own!

Preparation Time: 10 minutes (Roasting time: 1 hour)
Serves: 6-8 as a side

Ingredients:
2 large red peppers
1 medium-large butternut squash
1 can lite coconut milk
3 cups broth

1 tbsp of your favorite curry paste (I used panang curry paste. Use more or less depending on your 'heat' tolerance levels)
1 tsp cumin
2 tbsp ghee (melted butter works fine too)- use coconut oil for Vegan
Salt/Pepper to taste

Garnish
Pumpkin seeds/Pine nuts
Yogurt-exclude this for vegan
Cilantro (optional)

Roast the veggies:
Preheat the oven to 375F
Peel and chop the butternut squash in half. Remove the seeds and cut into quarters.
Wash and chop the red pepper in half. Remove the seeds.
Mix the ghee with the cumin. Brush/rub this over the veggies.
Place the veggies on a roasting pan face down and roast in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour.
Remove from the oven and bring to room temperature
Blend the veggies to a paste with a little water if needed.

Soup's On!
Heat the coconut milk on medium-high until hot. Stir in the curry paste. Add the broth and stir well.
Stir in the blended, roasted veggies and season with salt/pepper to taste

Serve with a dollop of yogurt and garnished with pumpkin seeds and cilantro (optional)