Cooking on a Budget: Vegan Butternut Squash Soup with Brussel Sprouts

The winter months never seem to end.  You bundle up, you keep the heat on, you dream of spring and warmer days, but nothing takes the winter blues away.  I find that the best way to make the cold days a little more tolerable is with great soup.  When your belly is warm the chills of the winter season melt away… for a short time anyway!  One of my favorite soup recipes is a delicious and healthy vegan butternut squash soup coupled with roasted brussel sprouts.  It’s a great comfort food and the soup and brussel sprouts go together great without weighing too heavy on you.  And if you have kids the peanut butter in the soup might just sell them on it!   This is also great if you are cooking on a budget.  This is an fairly inexpensive meal as the ingredients are fairly common.

Vegan Butternut Squash Soup Ingredients:

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp fresh thyme

2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil

1 onion diced

1/4 cup of peanut butter

1/4 cup of goat cheese

4 cups chicken or veggie broth

6 cups cubed butternut squash

dash of cayenne pepper

dash of black pepper

Vegan Butternut Squash Soup Directions:

Heat the oil in a large pot.  Add the onion and cook until it softens and becomes translucent.  Be sure not to burn them.  Usually takes about 4 minutes.  At this time add all of the ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer.  Let cook about 30 minutes to allow the squash to soften.  Then using a slotted spoon or ladle remove the squash and puree it in a blender or food processor.  Add the puree back into the soup, let it cook another 10-15 minutes and enjoy.  Serves 4 people.

For the brussel sprouts you’ll need:

2bs extra virgin olive oil

4 cloves of garlic

3 cups of brussel sprouts

salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Make sure that any dirty or discolored outer leaves are removed and trim the ends off (the stem).  Toss your brussel sprouts into a large mixing bowl with the oil and garlic cloves.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Place on a baking sheet and roast.  This should take about 30 minutes or until they are golden brown.  Be sure to stir the Brussel sprouts around halfway through.  Serves 2-4 people.