21 October 2014

Crock-Pot Butternut Squash Soup

Someone please tell me that I'm not the only one who goes through periodic phases of celery cravings...



Yep, you read that right.  Celery.  Well, more like celery topped with PB2 and Plum Amazins (ants on a log, anyone?), but celery nonetheless.  Realizing I was stocked at the bare minimum and in need of a grocery store run anyway, celery was promptly added to the list and off to the store I went.

And lo and behold, what should my eyes see but organic celery on sale.  Yes, organic celery was exactly 5 cents cheaper than the regular.  Five cents may not seem like much to you, but you have to understand, 5 cents is not just 5 cents to me right now.  In this time of zero financial reimbursement for my 40+ hour workweeks, 5 cents is magnified to more like $5.00.  And $5.00 savings here and there can add up.  I will take what I can get.


Well, it turned out my craving lasted exactly two and a half days, and my desire to eat celery went back to a "well, I guess if there's nothing else to eat, I'll eat it" attitude.  But there were indeed other things to eat, and so a week went by, with celery still sitting in the fridge.

And then the guilt kicked in.  I bought this celery with my hard earned, internship-depleted funds, and now I'm not wanting to eat it.  What to do with all of this celery?  Hmm, well let's consult Pinterest for some soup ideas.

And so tonight I present a delicious butternut squash soup adapted from this recipe: http://www.paleocupboard.com/butternut-squash-soup.html 

Butternut Squash Soup


What You'll Need
~ 5-6 cups raw, peeled butternut squash, chopped
~ 1-2 cups celery, chopped
~ 2 medium carrots, chopped
~ 1 medium red onion, chopped
~ 2 medium apples, skinned, peeled, and chopped (I used Fuji)
~ 2 cups chicken broth or stock (I used homemade no sodium broth)
~ 1 heaping tablespoon garlic powder (I would have used a couple cloves of fresh garlic, if I had had it)
~ 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
~ 1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
~ 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt (I used sea salt) --> optional
~ 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
~ 1 cup skim milk (Or milk of your choice. I wanted to try almond milk like in the original recipe, but I didn't have it on hand)

What to Do
~ Place the squash, celery, carrots, onion, apples, broth, and seasoning in a Crock-Pot (can fit in a mini Crock-Pot like mine).
~ Cook on high for 3-4 hours, until all ingredients are tender.
~ Stir well and slowly mix in the milk. Be careful to not pour the milk in too fast to prevent curdling.  You can slowly heat the milk ahead of time to prevent this as well, if desired.
~ Transfer contents to a blender/food processor and blend until thick and creamy.  You may need to split soup into two groups unless you are using a full-size Vitamix.
~ Top with dried parsely and enjoy!

Does anyone else have random weird cravings?  I can't be the only one who sometimes just really wants celery, right? ;)
You may also be interested in:

Cinnamon Chip Banana Pancakes
Apple & Black Bean Turkey Burgers

No comments:

Post a Comment