Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut squash (in Russia and Australia aka as "pumpkin") used to be my parents' favorite food during the Post-Soviet times when food was scarce in Russia. Our big garden sustained us and got us through many hard times. My dad grew a million of butternut squash and other pumpkin varieties. We called them all "pumpkins." They were cheap and easy to grow. Every weekend we would roast a whole gigantic squash in the oven and we would eat it with honey or sugar. My mom and my siblings and I ate so much of it and so often, that when the economy got back to normal we refused to ever eat it again. It has literally been more than 15 years since I last made or ate butternut squash. Looking back we were so blessed to eat all natural food that we grew ourselves in our garden!

Today I took a trip down the memory lane and made a butternut squash soup.

Butternut squash is an autumn vegetable/fruit that can be used in many recipes or just roasted. In many countries it's actually regarded as pumpkin. It has a sweet taste and goes nicely with nutmeg and cinnamon. It also has a lot of health benefits. It is an excellent source of fiber, magnesium, potassium, Vitamin A, C, and E.

• 1 medium butternut squash
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup plain soy milk
• 1/2 tsp dry thyme
• 1 tsp dry parsley
• salt and pepper to taste
• pumpkin seeds, optional

Preheat oven to 400F. Cut butternut squash into four pieces. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place on tin foil-covered baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes or until tender. Remove from oven. Skin and cut butternut squash into 1-2 inch pieces.

While butternut squash is roasting, heat 2 tbsp olive in a large skillet. Add celery, carrots, onion, and garlic. Saute for about 10 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add butternut squash, water, soy milk, and spices. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Transfer soup into blender. Puree until mixture is of desired consistency. Add more milk if needed.

Serve hot with pumpkin seeds. Enjoy!