SQUASH SOUP WITH SCALLIONS

Hello my Vegetarian/Vegan family!

It is the new year 2009 and with it not promises but realities of excitement, success, and prosperity. This I know will happen for all of you as well as myself.

Since it is still winter (and I know it's cold outside for many of you), I am so happy to share with you this INCREDIBLE soup that I heard about. I actually found this soup from a great website called Vegan Street http://www.veganstreet.com. I know you wont believe this but I had never had squash before. I didn't know what it tasted like nor did I know how to prepare it. So be it that I am on this amazing way of living I decided to give this soup a try. I can be adventurous when I want to be. LOL! I took the recipe and got started in the kitchen to create this creation of inner warmth. The smell alone brought with it memories of my mom and grand mom cooking homemade items in the kitchen. This was going to be good I told myself. My husband even commented on the magnetic aroma that this soup brought forth. It was almost like he couldn't wait to taste it either (which was the case).

Awesome Hubby (AH) waiting to try the squash soup after he followed the smell of it downstairs. Our two year old took the picture (that is why it looks like that).

When it was finished cooking, my hubby and I sat and looked at each other to see who would try this comfort food first. We both tried it at the same time. Can I just say.....OH MY GOODNESS!! This soup was wonderful.




I wanted to snuggle in a warm blanket in front of a fireplace and eat this soup continuously. Needless to say this will remain a staple in my repertoire. Here is the recipe. I dare you to try it. As a matter of fact, invite me over and we can enjoy it together! ;-)

SQUASH SOUP WITH SCALLIONS

http://www.veganstreet.com/veganliving/recipes008.html

1 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped into 1-inch chunks

1/4 cup mirin or dry sherry

1 Tbsp. tamari

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced

1/2 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms

3 cups vegetable stock

4 scallions, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

In a medium soup kettle, combine the squash, mirin, tamari, garlic, ginger, mushrooms, and stock. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the squash is cooked through, about 5 - 7 minutes. Add the salt, pepper and scallions and serve hot. Serves four. This soup calls for 1 tsp. dried hot red pepper flakes in the original recipe. I did try it this way the first time but it was a little too much for my children and my grandmother so I made a second batch without the heat. Fabulous!

** Side note. I added a little change in the recipe to give it a little personal touch. I took about 1 1/2 cup of the soup and a cup of almond milk and pureed it until smooth. I then added it back into the soup to give it a thicker consistency.