ROASTED BUTTERNUT AND RED LENTIL SOUP

Anti-inflammatory and Immune-Boosting Vegan Soup Recipe

This creamy butternut soup will become the soup you crave all winter long. Roasting the butternut and adding the whole roasted garlic adds deep flavor. The red lentils and cashews add protein and creaminess. This soup is perfectly spiced to warm you from the inside out.

Take this soup to the next level by topping it with a sprinkle of Elyse's Anti-Inflammatory Spiced Seeds (recipe below). Serve with crusty sourdough bread for a complete meal.

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Recipe: Creamy Roasted Butternut and Red Lentil Soup

Ingredients

Serves 6 to 8

1 whole butternut squash (2 to 2 1/2 pounds), halved, seeds removed
1 whole garlic bulb, top sliced off
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 carrots, peeled, chopped
1/2 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
6 cups water
1 cup raw cashews
½ cup red lentils
2 bay leaves
1 to 2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
2 teaspoons coconut sugar (or cane sugar), optional
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place the garlic bulb on a square of foil, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt, wrap tightly in the foil and place on the baking sheet. Drizzle oil and sprinkle salt on the butternut squash halves and place flesh side down on the baking sheet.

Roast in the center of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until the edges have some caramelization and the squash is soft when pierced with a fork. Remove from oven and allow to cool enough to touch. Peel the skin from the squash and squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of the skin.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large soup pot. Add the carrots, onion, and salt. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add the curry powder, turmeric, coriander, and cumin and stir continuously for 30 seconds. Quickly add the water to prevent the spices from burning.

Add the roasted butternut and garlic, cashews, lentils, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, simmer covered for 30 minutes, or until the lentils fall apart. Turn off heat. Remove bay leaves.

Use an immersion stick blender to blend thoroughly until smooth. (Alternatively, the soup can be cooled briefly and transferred to a regular blender). Stir in 1 tablespoon of the lime or lemon juice. Taste and add the sugar, more salt, and more lime or lemon, if needed. If too thick, add a small amount of water. Ladle into soup bowls and top with ground black pepper. Store the leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Recipe: Spiced Roasted Seeds

These sweet, salty, spiced seeds are addicting/snackable and delicious on top of soups and salads.

Ingredients:

1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/3 cup sesame or hemp seeds
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Preheat the oven to 300 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, toss the seeds with the honey and oil. Add the curry powder, turmeric, and salt. Spread out on the baking sheet. Roast in the center of the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until fragrant and toasty. Check frequently, seeds burn easily.

Cool completely, break up the clusters, and store in a glass jar.

Enjoy!

Wishing you a cozy and healthy winter,

Elyse