Thai Winter Squash - Sweet Potato Soup

1 med. butternut squash

1 lg. sweet potato

6 lg. cloves of garlic

extra virgin olive oil

fresh ground salt & pepper

1-2T coconut oil

½ lg. finely chopped onion

1c finely chopped celery
2T pumpkin pie spice
2T chicken soup base
2T Thai Seasoning
2T coconut sugar

5c water

Scrub the squash and sweet potato.  Cut the squash into 6 pieces and scrape out the seeds.  Peel and quarter the sweet potatoes.  Rub them with a paper towel soaked in a little olive oil.  Peel the garlic and put in the cupped hollow of the seed cavity.  Drizzle everything with a bit more olive oil.  Season with several grinds of salt and pepper.  Roast at 375° 60 minutes.  Turn the heat to 400° for the last 10 minutes, then shut the oven off for a half hour.  Take the pan out and let it cool to room temperature.

In a 3-5qt. pot, saute' the onion and celery in coconut oil until lightly browned.  Add the spices and soup base, toward the end of the browning time, stirring well to coat, then add 1 cup of the water.  Turn off the heat and just let the onion and celery soak up the flavors.

When the roasted vegetables have cooled enough to touch, scrape the squash away from the outer shell.  Cut the sweet potatoes and squash into pieces, and add them both, with the garlic, to the pot.  Now either mash with a potato masher - for a more textured soup - or - use an immersion blender to make it smooth.  Either way, adding water as needed.

Once the soup is the right consistency, taste it and add more spice, and / or soup base, if needed, to suit your taste, being careful not to make it too salty.  Now would be the time to add a little organic turbinado, brown, or coconut sugar to enhance, and balance all the flavors.  This time I used coconut sugar, which was a great choice!  Mash or blend well, to incorporate the sugar, spice and soup base.  Bring back to a simmer, cover and let cook for another 10 minutes.

Serve with a little dollop of sour cream, croutons, some roasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds, chopped walnuts or pecans, and a sprinkle of dried dill. . .Lin