So, last night really felt like the first night of Fall/ Mabon. It was crispy outside and I felt a little chill in my old bones. My Wizard was in the garden harvesting, and he walks in with this beautiful basket with a few Butternut squash and tomatillos. Hummm, so I thought, that sounds good for dinner, a nice hearty bowl of Butternut soup, but at the same time, I was craving a little spicy mexican flavor. So, why not try something different and see what happens,.....and so I did.
Wow, to my surprise, it turned out absolutely worth writing this recipe to share with all of you. Delicious, and guess what.... no meat or chicken needed, how about that ???... healthy on top of it, well that's up to you, lol.
So here we go, I know the list seams long but it's mostly spices, once you get it all chopped up is a breeze and a great meal for 4 adults, a couple of kitties and second servings.
😋
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. Olive or Coconut Oil
3 Tbsp. Butter or Margarine
2 large onions chopped
2 Celery stalks cleaned chopped
3 carrots peeled and chopped
6 cloves of garlic minced
1 1/2 tbsp of ground cumin
1 tbsp Turmeric
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Black Pepper
4 sprigs of fresh Thyme
(tie Thyme and Bay Leaves together with cooking twine, for easy removal later)
2 Bay leaves
2 tbsp chopped fresh Parsley
5 tbsp of fresh chopped Cilantro
3 small or 2 large Butternut-squash
(washed, chopped in small squares with skin no seeds)
1 small can of Chipotle Chilies Adobo style.
(use only 2 chilies with the sauce, freeze the rest for future use)
10 small green tomatillos (the size of a half dollar or 5 larger ones) washes and cut in half.
5 Knorr tomato Bouillon cubes or 5 tbsp of vegetable base Bouillon mixed with 8 cups of boiling water.
(or use 1/2 of each, I love the Tomato/chicken one, it has great flavor)
1 cup of Almond milk "or" 1 package of softened cream cheese, "or" one cup of reg. milk your choice on the waist line. 😉
1 bunch of cilantro stems and all (about 10)
1 can of corn (rinsed)
1 can on black beans (rinsed and optional)
Corn tortilla chips (optional garnish)
Shredded monterrey & cheddar cheese (optional garnish)
Sour cream (optional garnish)
Time to blend. I like to spoon all my veggies out of the soup pot and into the blender (or food processor), this way, I have more control on what goes in. I blend about 3/4 of my cooked veggies, so I still have a few chunks left in the soup. Put your veggies in the blender (with just a little bit of the stock), add whatever more spices you think you may need, add the cilantro stems and your choice of milk or cream cheese and blend really good. Add this back into your soup pot and add the can of corn and beans. Allow it to simmer about 15 or 20 more minutes, and serve in soup bowls and garnish with tortilla chips, a little bit of shredded monterrey and cheddar cheese mix, a tsp. of sour cream a couple of cilantro leaves and dig in. Your wont be sorry!
You can make this Vegan, Vegetarian or regular, it's your choice, as well as making it scrumptious and fattening (for once in a blue moon) or light and still absolutely delightful, either way, I'm sure you'll love it.
May our Universe and beautiful Mother Earth always provide us with a plentiful harvest, Blessed be.
