After a very long day of class and work, I drove home in this…

I know I shouldn’t complain about it though.  We have a lot of family in Atlanta, and from what I hear from them, the traffic there is literally unbearable.  When I finally got home, I did a bit of work before my scheduled 3 mile run.  Since my lovely commute cost me 45 minutes, it was too dark to run outside, so I jumped on the treadmill. 

This time, rather than entertain myself with Jeopardy, I watched a really old episode of The Office.  Lesson #1 learned: do not watch funny programming while trying to run.  I seriously had to jump off the treadmill at least three times because I was dying laughing and couldn’t focus on running in a straight line.  Lesson #2 learned: The Office used to be much funnier.  It was the episode where the sales team has a basketball team with the warehouse guys…hahahahaaa….

Anyways, after my run I started working on dinner.  Something made its way home in my school bag today, and I wanted to make something to dip it in for dinner…

Mmmmmmmm challah bread, I cannot resist you.  SO GOOD!!  I decided soup was on the dinner menu, and took note of what was in my pantry.  After playing with some ideas in my head for a few minutes, I jumped right into…

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Butternut Squash, Carrot, and Apple Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 small onion
• 1 large butternut squash
• 2 small (or 1 large) apple – mine were Gala
• 2 carrots
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup almond milk

To Prepare:

Start by dicing the onion and sautéing in a tiny bit of olive oil.  This is best done in a dutch oven or other large soup pot.  Next, cube up all the veggies – butternut squash, apples, and carrots – and combine them in a large bowl.

Once the onions are softened and starting to brown, add the rest of the vegetables to the pot, and top with 4 cups of vegetable broth.

Add in the spices, stir, and bring to a boil.  Once the soup comes to a boil, turn it down to a simmer and cover for about 15 minutes, until vegetables are very soft.

If vegetables are soft and starting to break down, it’s time to BLEND!

Use an immersion blender to puree the soup to a creamy, thick consistency.  If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can also use a regular blender (in several batches), but make sure you take the plastic knob off the top before you blend.  This is key in order to release steam – otherwise you will have soup everywhere.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Even the immersion blender got a little messy…

Finish the soup with a half cup of almond milk, or other milk if you prefer.  I use almond milk because I love the creamy texture and consistency, and the fact that it is much lower calorie than typical dairy milk.  

Stir in the milk, bring back up to a slight simmer to heat through, and serve!!  We enjoyed ours with a side salad and a homemade dressing of mustard, white balsamic vinegar, and sriracha sauce, courtesy of Chef Casey.

And of course, my homemade Challah Bread!!

A delicious and filling soup – one I will definitely make again!  Alright time to study for this Baking & Pastry final.  Wish me luck!