Butternut Squash Soup

So I'm not really a big soup person, but I decided to give this a try. Oh my god, this was seriously the most creamy, delicious soup that I've ever had. I couldn't believe that there wasn't any dairy in it because it was soooo creamy. Perfect for the chilly weather that is coming up. I love to eat this with a big salad for lunch! I also didn't add the pecans to mine (because I forgot) and it was delish without them. Add them if you want though!

Also, I found low sodium vegetable bouillon cubes at wholefoods and I toss a few of those in with the water at the end instead of spending tons of money on pre-made containers of it.

Serves 4
Naturally sweet, you won't crave dessert after this warming soup. The easy preparation combines with the seasonal colors — orange squash and brown pecans — to make this a perfect dish for an autumn lunch. Delicious topped with Gruyére cheese. Serve with a salad and rustic, crusty bread.

Ingredients
1 large leek
Non-stick cooking spray
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
5 cups vegetable stock
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/3 cup toasted pecans, chopped

Method
Halve the leek lengthwise, rinse thoroughly and chop the white and light green parts only. Discard the tough dark green parts.

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat with non-stick cooking spray; add onion and leek and sauté until they start to turn golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add squash (spray more non-stick spray or add a little olive oil) and continue cooking 10 minutes longer.

Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until squash is tender, about 20 minutes. Let soup cool slightly. In a food processor, purée half of the soup until smooth. Take extreme care when puréeing a hot liquid. Mix purée back into soup and season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with toasted pecans and serve.

From: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/recipe.php?recipeId=364