Apple Squash Soup

Happy Monday.  

Allergies have been really bad lately, causing us to have a big eczema outbreak.  So much so that we have had to scale back our allergy drops in order for her to heal.  Slowly we are getting back to normal.  Her face seems to have some of the worst spots.  Anyone use any good treatments on the face?  We have been prescribed EpiCeram cream, and so far that seems to be helping.  I'm ready for lots of hard frosts so the mold and outside allergies go away for a bit.  She seemed to think rubbing mommy's lip gloss all over face would help.  Maybe that's the trick!

We have also had a case of the sickness at our house lately.  The littlest one got his very first ear infection last week.  I'm surprise he's lasted this long without one.  Our little lady had a sinus infection and the hubs and I have both had sore throats.  Sickness be gone!

To help make us feel better we made Apple Squash Soup.  

I was a little nervous to make this since the last time I tried a squash soup it took FOREVER to make.  Peel, chop, blend, mix, boil, repeat, oh it was too much.  This recipe is still a little bit of work, but the taste is totally worth it.  One of the parts I never liked (cutting up the squash) was made so much easier by roasting it first.  The squash was so easy to scoop out and I only had to make one cut down the middle.  I had never heard of adding apples to your squash soup until I ran across this recipe.  The apples give a nice sweet flavor to this dish.  Since I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out, I didn't take any pictures during the process - but we will be making this one again!

APPLE SQUASH SOUP
 made allergy friendly from:  www.chow.com

Free of:  wheat, dairy, peas, corn, nuts, milk and eggs

1 large butternut squash cut in half and seeds removed
2 tablespoons vegan butter divided
1 medium apple
1/2 medium onion
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1 1/4 cups water
1/6 cup soy milk
Salt and pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2.  Cut your squash in half the long way and scoop out all of the seeds.  Then place cut-side up on a foil lined baking sheet.

3.  Melt 1 tbsp vegan butter and spread all over the squash. Season with salt and pepper and roast for 50 minutes.

4.  Next, dice up one medium apple and place in a medium saucepan.  I used a Honeycrisp apple, but any flavor would work. Dice half of an onion and add to saucepan.  Add remaining (1 tbsp) melted vegan butter to the pan and cook for about 7 minutes, or until the apples are getting soft.

5.  When the squash is ready to handle, scoop out all of the flesh and place in the saucepan with the apples, onion and butter.

6.  Add broth and water and bring mixture to a boil.  Then reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

7.  Stir in soy milk (half and half, cream, regular milk, etc. would all work in this recipe).

8.  Using a blender, and in batches, puree the squash mixture until smooth.  I did this in 3 batches.

9.  Serve and enjoy!