Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Warm-You-Up Soup 17 October 2016 Bliss Team No comments Categories: Guest Post After a long, hot summer most of us are probably happy with cooler temperatures, fall sweaters and the return of our favourite cold day comfort foods. The season of cold smoothies, fresh salads, and ripe fruit are behind us and the days of root vegetables, apples and colourful squashes have arrived! In the tradition of Ayurveda (the ancient Indian practice of whole-body medicine) feeding our bodies in tune with the changing seasons, from hot to cold and back again, keeps our bodies in homeostasis and our immune systems healthy and active. It is said that during the colder seasons of fall and winter our bodies must work harder to metabolize food into energy and to keep us warm from the inside out. Therefore we must feed our bodies adequate amounts of nutrient dense foods, healthy starches, and fats to fuel the fire, so-to-speak. By keeping our bodies properly fuelled for the season we boost our immune systems, improve digestion, and are able to keep warm! Luckily for us, eating with the season is totally achievable as grocery stores and gardens fill with an abundance of fresh and richly coloured squashes, gourds, apples, onions and root vegetables! For my favourite Sweet Potato & Roasted Butternut Squash Warm-You-Up Soup, I use a few key fall foods to create a simple and delicious treat! Sweet Potato: a staple root vegetable that tastes great cooked any which way. Rich in Vitamins A & C – powerful antioxidants and immunity boosters. Butternut Squash: the sweetest of the squashes and packed with antioxidants, carotenoids for fighting sickness, and healthy starch for energy. Garlic: one of the most powerful, natural antibacterial and antiviral foods. Fights sickness and boosts immunity! Chicken/Bone Broth: greater consumption of healthy fats and gelatinous foods keeps our energy up by reducing inflammation and allowing cells to regenerate much quicker! Turmeric: considered the miracle spice, it greatly reduces inflammation in the body and fights both bacterial and viral illness. Cumin: this savoury spice helps stimulate digestion, reduce inflammation, and dispel gas from the body. Sweet Potato & Roasted Butternut Squash Warm You Up Soup Serves six Divide and freeze in mason jars to enjoy all winter! Ingredients 3 large sweet potatoes 1 medium butternut squash 1 large sweet yellow onion 1 large head cauliflower 1 Tbsp. coconut oil 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 4 cloves of garlic *to taste Turmeric, cumin and paprika 3 cups of water 3 cups of organic chicken broth or bone broth Serve topped with crumbled feta cheese and toasted pumpkin seeds Large pot with lid Blender Directions Preheat oven to 425 F. Wash, peel and cut the sweet potato, butternut squash, and cauliflower into bite sized pieces. Toss the cauliflower with olive oil and a pinch of each of the spices. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and cover in an even layer with cauliflower. Bake until golden brown – approximately 35 minutes. Toss the butternut squash in coconut oil. Coat baking sheet lightly with coconut oil. Spread squash into even layer, and bake until tender – approximately 25 minutes. In a large pot, bring water and broth to a boil with a pinch of salt. Once boiling, add in sweet potato, onion and 2 cloves of garlic. Boil until potatoes are tender. Once roasted, slowly add squash and half of cauliflower to pot. Reduce heat, and let simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, add the rest of garlic and let sit until cool enough to handle. Using a ladle add small portions of vegetables and water to blender, then puree until smooth. Continue until you have worked through all but two ladles worth of the water/vegetable mix. Add pureed ingredients back into pot with the remaining cauliflower and serve hot, topped with crumbled feta and toasted pumpkin seeds! AMBER ELIZABETH REGISTERED HOLISTIC NUTRITIONIST R.H.N AmberElizabethNutrition@gmail.com, 519.497.8815 Amber Elizabeth is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist who graduated from the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. She is currently the on-staff nutritionist at Holistic Nutrition Nature’s Apotheke. Amber loves to cook and craft classic recipes into more nutrient rich, healthy, and whole food dishes that still satisfy her inner foodie! Holistic or holism is defined as: the theory that parts of a whole are in intimate connection, such that they cannot exist independently of the whole or cannot be understood without reference to the whole, which is thus regarded as greater than the sum of its parts. Holism is often applied to mental states, language, and ecology.