Ooooohhh- Curried Butternut Squash & Coconut Milk Soup!

I've been craving some spicy, autumn-y, creamy soup- even though it is still in the 80s where I live... it feels like fall...

I've had some frozen mashed butternut squash in the freezer for a while. Butternut squash is totally in season and this would have been awesome to use fresh squash, but since I had the frozen on hand AND it is such a time saver, I used it.

Here's my recipe:

• 1 T safflower oil
• one onion chopped ( I got a bunch of onions for free that someone at work brought in... we get a lot of random local produce around these parts- bonus!)
• one clove of garlic chopped
• 2 T fresh grated ginger root
• 1 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 c champagne
• 2- 14 oz cans veg broth
• 2- 14 oz blocks frozen mashed squash (thawed)
• 2 tsp raw sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp course kosher salt
• 1- 14 oz can light organic coconut milk
• 2 T lemon juice

Heat the oil in a large stock pot. Saute the onion, garlic and ginger until soft- about 5 minutes. Add the curry and stir constantly for about 1 minute. Add the champange and reduce for about a minute. Add the veg broth and stir. Transfer to a large blender and blend until veggies are pureed or mostly pureed. (a tiny bit of texture is fine). Pour back into the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add the squash, sugar, and salt. Cook 5 minutes. Add the coconut milk and cook 5 more minutes. Add the lemon juice and serve. Add more salt to taste if needed.

Voila! Delicious, easy, perfect-for-autumn soup! I will eat this for days with some hearty whole-grain toast spread with avocado. I might add some diced smoked tofu if I feel like I need a protein boost some days.

You really can't mess this up and the recipe isn't an exact science. You could experiment and add different spices- maybe some cinnamon or cardamon to autumn-it-up even more?