A Butternut Squash Classic.

I had to leave the best for last--but of course, it has a little spin on it!

Quick and Easy Butternut Squash Soup (no blending necessary!)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 butternut squash, chopped
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/8 cup coconut milk (ie SoDelicious Coconut Milk Beverage)
• cumin seeds
• 1 tsp curry powder
• salt/pepper/lemon juice to taste

In one pan, saute the butternut squash in 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil. After a few minutes, add a small amount of water (1/8 cup), and cover the pot, letting it cook over medium heat.

In another pan, heat the other 1/2 teaspoon of oil and add the finely chopped garlic and cumin seeds.

I checked on the squash 5-7 minutes afterwards to make sure it was easily mash-able.

Proceed to mash it with a fork until it reaches desired consistency. Since I'm not a huge fan of soups, and since I am a fan of the texture of butternut squash, I decided to keep it slightly chunky.

Stir in the garlic/cumin mixture.

Then add the rest of the water.

I chose to add the coconut milk to give it a slightly creamy consistency without having to add cream.

Stir in the coconut milk, curry powder, salt, pepper, and a dash of lemon juice. 

Quick and easy, just as the title states!

Last night, I made a blueberry/pecan fruit tart for my mom's birthday (picture taken today, hence why the bananas look the way they do). Super easy, super low fat/low sugar, and taste is definitely not compromised. And even better, I had some left over custard for myself! Check out the recipe from an earlier post here.

Gotta love patterns.