Dr. Igor’s Vegan Winter Squash and Hemp Heart Soup Recipe

Creamy Kabocha & Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Cream, Hemp, Aromatic Vegetables & Warm Spices

GLUTEN-FREE/LOW-CARB/MEDITERRANEAN DIET/PALEO/PLANT-BASED/VEGAN

Vegan Winter Squash and Hemp Heart Soup Recipe

Squash is so common but most of the time overlooked. Don’t be afraid to try this cheap vegetable and purchase yourself some especially when they are in season. Kabocha squash is a Japanese variant that is green on the outside and its flesh is inherently sweet and tastes like hazelnuts. Butternut squash is softer in texture and has a brown sugar, vanilla-like flavor. Roasting amplifies the flavor profiles of both squashes and then when simmered in a coconut, ginger and cinnamon flavored broth, creates a perfectly balanced soup.

Squash is a great source of healthy carbohydrates, has moderate protein, is high in fiber, extremely dense in vitamins A and C, and is a great source of many healthy antioxidants. Enjoy the unique sweet flavor of squash as well as all of its health benefits in this creamy and comforting soup recipe.

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Ingredients

• ½ small sized kabocha squash, peeled and diced
• 1 large sized butternut squash, peeled and diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of hemp oil
• ½ white onion, peeled and diced
• 1 thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and minced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• ¼ cup of hemp hearts
• 1 cup of coconut cream
• 1 cup of vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (or ½ a lemon)
• ⅛ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• ½ teaspoon of black pepper

Steps

1.) Gather all your ingredients and preheat an oven to 400°F.

2.) Peel and remove any seeds from your squash and dice into 1 inch pieces. Peel the carrot and cut into 1 inch chunks. In a bowl, toss the cut veggies with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and roast them for 25 minutes or until they are golden brown. 

3.) Start your soup base by sautéing the onions, garlic and ginger in a medium sized pot with the hemp oil for 5 minutes on medium low heat. Add in the hemp hearts, coconut cream, stock, cinnamon and lemon juice.

4.) Remove the roasted vegetables from the oven, place them in the pot, bring it to a boil then simmer for 10 minutes, covered.

5.) Use a hand blender, a food processor or a stationary blender to purée the soup into a smooth consistency. Taste and season with salt and/or pepper to your liking. Garnish with a dash of coconut cream, a few crunchy chickpeas, a drizzle of olive or hemp oil, and a sprinkle of hemp hearts. Serve!

Tips

• Peeling squash can be a difficult task using a regular peeler, so I suggest cutting the bottom so it’s leveled on the cutting board, and using a very sharp knife to peel away the tough skin of the vegetable.
• Try peeling a piece of ginger with a dinner spoon instead of a vegetable peeler. It is effective and will not leave fibrous strands on your peeler!
• Use an inch sized piece of ginger (before peeling) as a rule of thumb. Too much ginger will overpower the sweet flavor of your squash.

Q&A

• Can I use all kabocha or all butternut squash? Yes. Both taste different so combining them brings the best of both worlds, flavor wise. Other squashes to use are crookneck pumpkin, regular pumpkin, or honey-nut squash. Use whatever’s in its peak of the season!
• I don’t have any coconut cream at the moment, can I use regular heavy/whipping cream instead? It certainly won’t make this soup vegan anymore but yes you can do a 1:1 switch heavy cream for coconut cream.

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