Apple Squash Soup

    I've had a butternut squash sitting on my counter for two weeks now.  I've resisted using it, waiting for the weather to feel more fall like.  I can no longer wait for the weather, which continues to bounce around like a yo-yo.  So on this 85 degree fall day, I am making squash soup.  Instead of going with my trusty Cooking Light recipe, I decided to try something new from my Clean Food book.  I like this book because the recipes are organized according to seasons and flipping through the fall section and then taking a walk through the produce department at the grocery store leaves me with tons of inspiration. 

Apple Squash Soup

And my camera is finally back from being repaired  and working like new!  Ahhh...huge sigh of relief on my part (and also my Dad's who let me handle this customer service problem on my own...like a big girl-but he was ready to pounce at any moment!)

Ingredients
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 large butternut squash
4 gala apples, peeled, cored, and cut into quarters
2 tbsp grapeseed oil
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Method
1. Peel the squash and cut into 2 inch pieces.
2. Add the oil to a large pot and heat over medium heat.  Add the onion and saute for about 5 minutes.
3. Add the squash, apples, broth, coconut and almond milk, and the nutmeg to the pot.  Cover and bring the mixture to a boil.  Then reduce the temperature and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the squash is soft.
4. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup.  Allow to cool a bit before serving.  Season with salt if desired.

The Taste Test
     This soup was fine.  Usually I despise the word fine because really, what the heck does it mean?  It means it wasn't that great, but it wasn't terrible.  Arnauld is good for replying, "it's fine" when I ask for  fashion advice.  My mom is also notorious for using the word.  While the response always leaves me wanting more, in all honesty, this soup is just fine.  I think it may have been the apples that added something to the flavor that I didn't love.  The recipe didn't specify what kind of apples to use-I just chose gala.  My tried and try butternut squash soup is a bit thicker, which I think I like better.  I suppose the take away message here, don't mess with a good recipe.  Luckily my grandma's garden produced quite a few butternut squash this season, so I'll have a chance to try again.

Update
     I am upgrading the taste test on this soup to good!  This soup tasted so much better the next day, reheated.  My friend Ali said it might have been because the flavors had to "marry."  Well by day two, the apples and squash were in love and tasting delicious.