Mmmm...Squash

I've had a lot of time on my hands lately. A lot of time means a lot of time to experiment in the kitchen and find new recipes to try. So despite the fact that I am ill with a cold, yesterday I just had to try making this recipe because I was craving soup. Now, I didn't have pumpkin, but I had a squash, and I liked it just the same! I didn't even have a butternut squash, but really, squash is squash is squash...It all tastes delish. So here it is! The best squash soup for curing colds! I do not take credit for the picture, but mine looked just the same!

Pumpkin Apple Soup (from Canadian Living Magazine)

1. First off you will have to make yogurt cheese for that lovely white design on the top of the soup. To make simply find a clean linen or cotton tea towel (I used a thin cloth napkin). Plop a few scoops of plain yogurt inside, gather up the corners secure with rubber band or something of the sort, and hang for 8 hours over a container to separate the whey from the rest of the yogurt. (DO NOT try cheesecloth. It doesn't work. Trust me, I tried.) What's left in the towel becomes your yogurt cheese which can be stored in the fridge for 1 week.

Ok now for the actual recipe....

You will need:

1 1/4 lb (625 g) sugar pumpkin or butternut squash (or any squash) halved and seeded.

2 onions, quartered (I only used one and it turned out great)

1 large apple, halved and cored

1 clove garlic

2 C. sodium reduced vegetable broth

1/2 salt

pinch of white pepper (or regular black pepper...)

1. Peel and cut pumpkin (or squash) into 1/2 inch cubes; Place in roasting pan. Add onions, apple and garlic; drizzle with oil and toss to coat. Roast in 425 degree F oven, stirring once, until pumpkin is browned and tender, about 40 min.

2. Peel apple (which I did not. Peels are healthy) ; transfer along with roasted mixture to food processor.

3. Heat roasting pan over med-high heat; Pour in 1 C. of broth and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Add to food processor and puree until smooth.

4. In dutch oven, add 1 T. olive oil. Stir in vegetable puree, remaining broth, 2 C. water (though you may only want to do one depending on how thick you want your soup. I did 1 C.), salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve drizzled with yogurt cheese, sprinkled with bacon, or toasted pumpkin seeds. Enjoy!