Oven Roasted Squash, Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup

Oven Roasted Squash, Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup

1.     1 butternut squash (about 2 lb), peeled, seeded & diced into cubes
2.     3 large sweet potatoes, peeled & diced into cubes
3.     1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
4.     1 onion, peeled and cut into 4 wedges
5.     3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
6.     Salt & pepper
7.     8 cups vegetable broth
8.     1/3 cup pine nuts
9.     Cooking spray
10.     1 granny smith apple, cut into small cubes
11.     2 tbsp parsley, chopped

Directions:

•     Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
•     Line 2 or 3 baking sheets with foil. Divide squash, potatoes, carrots and onion between baking sheets. Drizzle oil, salt & pepper over the veggies. Toss veggies to coat. Roast until lightly brown, about 25 minutes. Stir veggies around the 15 minute mark.
•     In a soup pot, combine oven roasted veggies & vegetable stock. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer for 15 minutes.
•     Puree the soup by using an immersion blender or a blender working in batches. Taste and season with salt & pepper. Bring soup back up to a simmer.
•     In a skillet, toast pine nuts. Remove nuts from skillet. Spray skillet with cooking spray. At a medium heat, saute apple cubes for 3 minutes. Set aside.
•     When soup is ready, ladle into bowls and top with pine nuts, apples and parsley.

Tomato Based Vegetable Soup

Tomato Based Vegetable Soup

1.     2 Tbs. olive oil
2.     3 cloves garlic, minced
3.     ½ tsp. red pepper flakes
4.     1 medium onion, chopped
5.     2 medium carrots, sliced
6.     2 ribs celery, chopped
7.     1 small zucchini, sliced
8.     ½ tsp. chopped fresh thyme
9.     2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
10.     2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes
11.     1 15-oz. can small white beans or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
12.     1 cup sun-dried tomatoes. Get the ones that aren’t packed in oil. They come packaged in a resealable bag, can be found in the produce section.
13.     8 basil leaves, torn plus more for garnish
14.     8 oz bag baby spinach

Directions

•     Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook 1 minute, or until garlic is fragrant. Stir in onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, and thyme.  Cook 10 to 15 minutes, or until onions are soft.
•     Add broth, 1 can tomatoes, and beans. In a blender, add remaining can of tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, torn basil leaves and 1/2 soup liquid. Purée until smooth. Add more soup liquid to get the consistency you want.  Stir mixture into soup, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Simmer 10 minutes.
•     Add baby spinach and simmer 1 minute more. Remove pan from heat, and stir in basil garnish.