This one is directly inspired from David Rocco’s La Dolce Vita cookbook (proud owner, woot!). I really wanted to make the squash soup but heck…. dairy is not going to happen. Sooooo I messed around with it and came up with this version, with a bunch of tweaks.
Yes, I did label this vegan and paleo. Hear me out a sec! You can make some quick substitutions to adjust to those diets. If you want this to be vegan, you can easily substitute vegetable broth. For those of you who are paleo, you can switch the cashews with sunbutter or even some tahini sauce. Squash is super versatile- if you are sensitive to herbs, try adding in some cinnamon or alspice instead of the thyme. Or, you could add in some chili pepper flakes. If you can’t do onions, try leeks. If that whole family is out, substitute some nice strong-flavoured celery leaves to simmer in (but don’t combine celery with cinnamon or allspice, its kinda yucky!!).
Most of all guys, play :)
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Dairy Free Cream Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash
- 2 medium onions (onion free: try 1 leek, or fronds from 4-5 celery stalks)
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (herb free: try 1 tsp cinnamon or 1/4 tsp alspice, or 1/4 tsp chili flakes)
- 5-6 cups turkey broth (vegan: vegetable broth)
- 3/4 cup ground cashews or 1/3 cup cashew butter or macadamia nut butter (paleo and nut free: use 2 tbsp Sunbutter plus 1 tbsp Tahini , or to taste Top 10 Free: use a cooked, peeled and chopped potato or two)
- 1/4 cup coconut sap (paleo: omit. nut free: use raw agave nectar or maple syrup)
- 2 tbsp olive oil (or cooking oil of your choice)
NOTE: iI you are using allspice or cinnamon, don’t combine with celery fronds. Its gross tasting. :) Also, a great tip- throw a few handfuls of fresh or frozen cranberries in a skillet with a spoonful of olive oil on medium high heat. Cook them through, mash them a bit, and toss into the soup before serving. Makes some deeeelicious tart pockets of flavor in the soup!
Directions
- Peel the squash and chop into 1-2 inch pieces.
- Chop the onions (or leek. if using celery, don’t chop).
- In a large pot, cook the onions or leeks and olive oil (not the celery if you are using it) – if you can’t have any sweetener listed above, add 2-3 more onions and caramelize them till they are a dark brown. This will add natural sweetness to the recipe).
- Add in the squash and cook till softened.
- Add in the herbs/spices or chili pepper and cook 1-2 minutes so the flavours open.
- Add in the broth, whole celery fronds (if using) your choice of sweetener (if using), and cashews or seed butters.
- Let simmer 30 min or until the squash is completely softened through and easily mashes. Remove the celery fronds if using. Puree the soup if desired.