Butternut Squash Soup with Garlic, Fennel, and Ginger offers warmth & satisfaction for the season.
After a summer of absorbing the sun’s energy, farm-fresh Butternut Squash is ripe, sweet, and ready for autumn consumption. It is no wonder that the earth offers this brightly-colored, bountiful food in the fall and winter time, when your body naturally craves more cozy, grounding foods. Ginger & sweet fennel add an enticing top note for a delicate finish and enhanced digestibility to this delectable soup. This is comfort food at its best - bringing contentment without weighing you down.
SERVINGS: 4
PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES
COOK TIME: 30 MINUTES
- 1/4 tsp Black pepper
- 4 c Butternut squash
- 1 tsp Fennel seeds
- 2 clove Garlic
- 2 tbsp Ghee
- 1/2 inch Ginger (fresh)
- 1/2 whole Lime
- 1/4 tsp Salt (mineral salt)
- 4 c Water
- 1/2 c Yellow onion
Directions
1. Roast the butternut squash in the the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove and let cool. The skin will peel off easily with a potato peeler after roasting. When it cools, chop the butternut squash into 1 inch cubes.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in a large stock pot. Add diced onions and saute. Chop ginger and garlic, and toss them in the pot when your onions begin to brown. Add salt, pepper and fennel seeds. Continue frying another thirty seconds, taking care not to burn the garlic. Now, add the butternut squash cubes, and 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes. Then mash with a potato masher, or puree in a blender. Squeeze the juice of half a lime into the finished soup.
4. Serve hot with a hearty hunk of bread!
Soup is an excellent way to nurture your body. It is soothing and reassuring when you’re feeling frazzled. The natural dryness of fall tends to trigger anxiety, triggering scattered thoughts and disarray. Soups replenish moisture which calms your nerves and soothes your mind. Cooked garlic and onions are grounding and calming for a wired brain, making this meal a hearty and supportive treat. Butternut squash soup helps you relax at the end of a long day at work.
Immune System Boost
Ginger, garlic and onion are a combination used ubiquitously in Asian cooking known as “tri-root.” It is highly beneficial for stressed immune systems. Garlic and onion are known immune tonics as they are antimicrobial and improve circulation. Ginger and black pepper’s fiery character protects you on cold, damp days, making this soup a fail-proof immune-boosting tonic. Butternut Squash Soup with its immune support spices is a gem for fall illnesses. It is dairy-free, yet heavy enough to keep you feeling strong and satiated while fighting off a cold or flu.Comfort Food that Helps You Lose Weight
Butternut squash isn’t just a comfort food for the senses, it is also an ideal comfort food for weight loss and diabetes. Its mild diuretic qualities drain excess “dampness,” meaning it can drain mucus congestion from the lungs and flush excess water retention from your body. Although it tastes sweet, the complex carbohydrates in butternut squash won’t aggravate diabetes either. The pungent scent of garlic is a sign of its stimulating effects on the circulatory system, useful for boosting metabolism, which is a key factor in losing weight.Support Your Liver
Your eyes may seem naturally drawn to the rich golden hues of butternut squash in autumn. Its orange color is due to carotenes, the molecules that bring that luscious bright orange shade to carrots and sweet potatoes. The high content of carotenes in butternut squash soothes your stressed liver while nourishing dry eyes. Butternut squash is also thought to contain anti-inflammatory properties, which cool off an overheated liver.Good for Cleanses, Illness & Weakness
The soft, sweet qualities of butternut squash are easy to digest and very nourishing, perfect for the elderly and those with weak digestion. Butternut squash is also wonderful when your system is weakened by cleansing or purification. Butternut squash works gently to rebuild strength without compromising the lightness achieved by cleansing. Mild spices in this recipe like fennel and ginger augment the ease of digesting butternut squash for your transition back to health. These spices also aid detoxification. Although they have warming qualities, these spices will not inflame heat-sensitive Pitta constitutions, even as they promote warmth and balance in cool, dry constitutions. The nourishing benefits of butternut squash soup are enhanced by the use of lime. Like all sours, lime increases secretions and moistens dry Vata, especially in the autumn when the body tends toward cold limbs and dryness. These spices and flavors work in tandem with the squash to produce a satisfying, deeply fortifying meal.
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