[Meatless Monday] Butternut-Apple-Kale Soup

My family has a tradition of starting our Thanksgiving meal with bowls of warm and creamy butternut squash soup. I remember the first time my dad made it. He's the more likely of my two parents to make me try "different" things. Up until that time, I'd never even heard of butternut squash. That fateful thanksgiving, a bowl of thick orange "soup" was set in front of me, and I was encouraged to top it with a dollop of sour cream. As weird as it looked, it turned out to be insanely delicious, sweet and slightly tangy, a hit!

Since then, my dad has passed the soup-making torch to the ladies of the household. A few thanksgivings ago, when I was put on "soup duty", I was sad to see that the recipe we use includes a lot of ingredients that ultimately make the soup fairly unhealthy, namely: lots heavy cream and maple syrup. We've slowly adapted that recipe to include mainly regular milk instead of cream and less syrup, but we just can't get of the sour cream on top (really, that would be a sin...).

This recipe is reminiscent of our holiday soup, but takes away most of the bad and adds in some more good. All dairy is removed, chicken broth is replaced with vegetable broth and water, just a smidgen of maple syrup is used, and kale is added. The result is a slightly sweet, creamy, nutrient-packed [and unfortunately ugly] soup.

I actually ate [read: drank] this for breakfast one morning in a tumbler. Warm smoothie, anyone?! I'd also recommend trying it with a bit of sour cream, like my family's soup, or eating it along side a grilled (gruyere) cheese ;) This soup can be frozen in individual servings for convenience too. I packed away half in zip-lock sandwich bags for quick winter lunches in the months ahead.

Wishing you all a happy week of thanksgiving!

Butternut-Apple-Kale Soup

Adapted from Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes

Servings: 4

1 medium butternut squash, cut in half and seeded
2 medium apples, sliced with skin
About 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 yellow or white onion, chopped
About 4-6 stalks of kale, ribbed and chopped
1 clove elephant garlic, wrapped in foil
1 cup vegetable broth
2-3 cups water
1/2-1 tablespoon maple syrup
Salt and pepper, to taste

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place squash on baking sheet, inside up, and sprinkle lightly with salt. Roast for 10 minutes and then add apple pieces and garlic clove. Roast for an additional 20 minutes or  until squash is tender. 

• In a large pot, cook onions over medium heat with oil until translucent. Add in chopped kale and cook for about 5 minutes. Add in broth and 2 cups water. Bring to boil and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

• Add squash and apples to the pot, and squeeze the garlic clove out of the foil. Add maple syrup, salt and pepper. Using an immersion blender or blender, blend until smooth either in the pot or in small portions with the blender. Add more water and seasoning, if needed. Serve or allow to completely cool before freezing.