Curl up on a cold winter’s day with a bowl of this Roasted Acorn Squash and Apple Soup, sure to warm your soul!

Well, after my complete falling off the healthy recipe train from last week, I am here to redeem myself with a healthy start for 2017! Because THIS was the recipe with which I was going to kick off a year of healthy eating and SO many vegetables and… oh, who am I kidding. I’ll do my best. (But let’s not kid ourselves, we both know that desserts are my specialty!)

But soups… ahhh, soups are my favourite on those cold winter days. They’re soul food, really. Warming you from the inside out.

These gorgeous acorn squash are available well into winter in Nova Scotia, and are a delicious, healthy way to get your veggies in during those cold months. While the name applies more to their look, you could also say that their flavour falls on the ‘nuttier’ side of squash. Walking into a farmer’s market this time of year, you’ll also find many apples still, which means this is the perfect January recipe!

We’re going to cut it in half, and then place it in a high-sided glass dish. You could use any pan, really, just make sure it’s big enough to give the squash some breathing room, because otherwise there may be some spillage during the roasting process!

Then toss all the good stuff in it, a little butter (hey, a little fat is healthy!), some cinnamon and other delicious things. Then toss it in the oven until it’s easily speared with a fork. In my very very slow oven, it was about 45 minutes, but the normal recommendation is about 30.

In the meantime, peel your apples (mine were a little beat up, but still yummy!) and heat in a large pot with about a tsp more of butter to soften them.

Look at this gorgeous squash!

That yellow is just the bright colour I need on this dull winter day!

Scoop out the squash into the pot with the apples, and then add your broth.

*SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: THIS SOUP WILL LOOK REALLY GROSS AT THIS STAGE. IT’S OKAY. IT’S SUPPOSED TO!*

Now use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. I usually put it in a blender, remove the plastic part in the cover, and hold a cloth over the open hole while I blend. If you don’t remove the plastic part in the lid, the lid WILL fly off and you WILL get soup all over your kitchen because of the pressure! (No, I haven’t done that… what do you mean?)

Finally, we’ll stir in some cream, cloves and nutmeg, and there you have it! The perfect January soup!

This soup is perfect, and tastes even better the next day, when the flavours have time to really meld together. I also love that it is a ‘spicy’ soup rather than a savoury one. It’s lightly sweet because of the apples, and just packed full of winter spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.

When some of my friends over at Canadian Food Creatives decided to get together and share recipes for Healthy Weeknight Dinners, I knew this was the perfect entry. It can be hard to eat and cook healthy on weekdays when it seems like you have no time to make anything. These recipes are not only quick and easy, but also healthy and delicious! Click the links below to see some more great healthy weeknight dinner ideas from some very talented Canadian bloggers!

• • • Roasted Tomato Pasta Dinner by A Pretty Life Blog
    • Apple and Acorn Squash Soup by I Say Nomato
    • Mexican Ground Beef Zucchini Skillet by 365 Days of Easy Recipes
    • One Pot Chicken, Barley and Veg by My Kitchen Love
    • Parmesan Polenta with Poached Egg and Spinach by Un Assaggio of Food, Wine & Marriage
    • Chicken and Chickpea Stew by Imagelicious
    • Lentil Tacos by Cocoa Bean, The Vegetable
    • Lighter Mac n Cheese by Fuchsia Freezer
    • One Pan Baked Salmon and Roasted Veggies by She Bakes Here
    • Steamed Rice with Red Curry Coconut Squash by Sugar Love Spices
    • Citrus + Soy Shrimp Lettuce Cups by Killing Thyme
    • Tofu Fajitas with Guacamole Crema by The Refreshanista

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Roasted Acorn Squash and Apple Soup

Cozy, comforting Acorn Squash and Apple Soup! With hints of cinnamon and nutmeg, it's sure to warm your soul!

Servings: 4 -6 servings

Author: Cristina

Ingredients

• 1 acorn squash , with the seeds scooped out
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp butter + 1 tsp butter
• dash cinnamon
• 2 apples , peeled, cored and cut into 8ths.
• 2 cups chicken , turkey or vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp nutmeg (or to taste)
• dash cloves (or to taste)

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°.
2. Halve the acorn squash, and place 1/2 tsp butter and brown sugar in the hollow of each half, and a dash of cinnamon.
3. Bake in the oven for 30-45 minutes, or until the flesh is easily speared with a fork.
4. In a large pot on the stove, melt the remaining tsp of butter, and add the apple pieces. Cook them on medium temperature, until they are soft and easily speared with a fork, about 10 minutes.
5. Add the broth to the soft apples.
6. With a spoon, carefully scoop out the acorn squash into the pot. It's hot! Use an oven mitt to hold the squash if you have to. (It will look gross. Heads up.)
7. Blend with either an immersion blender, or a stand blender with the plastic piece of the blender removed, and holding a cloth over the hole (if you leave the plastic centre in, pressure will build because of the hot soup and you'll end up with soup all over your kitchen!)
8. Stir in the heavy cream, and add nutmeg and cloves.

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