Sweet Potato & Butternut Squash Soup

My family is a little unconventional when it comes to Christmas dinner. Most people eat turkey or ham (I just learned the ham part a few years ago...) My family eats clam chowder and crab. No, I don't live in Boston, nor do I live anywhere near an ocean. I do live close to a large body of salt water, but the only thing that live in it are brine shrimp. Yay for the GSL, thank you for your lake effect snow.

So, as you can see, not the most vegan friendly meal. Which is why I will be bringing this soup to dinner on Christmas Eve. It is hands down the easiest soup ever. Actually, that is a lie. It is the 2nd easiest soup ever, I just made a soup by Healthy Happy Mama that is literally almost as easy as dumping a can of soup into the crock pot. I only had to chop one thing. ONE THING. This recipe I have to chop three. But this recipe has less ingredients, so I guess it is a toss up.

Anyway, I love butternut squash and I love sweet potatoes, so why not combine them into one great soup of pure deliciousness? Every person I have ever made this for has loved it, even my dad who hates squash and sweet potatoes. (I may have told him it was a carrot soup until he ate it, I don't remember. Yes, I lie to my parents about what is in their food when I cook for them. They have the palate of children when it comes to eating vegetables.)

So, let's get down to making some soup. I love this recipe because I throw it in the crock pot in the morning and we are good to go. Technically, there are two ways to make it, I will include both. The traditional way and the fast way. I use the fast way and it tastes exactly the same. No need to work harder than necessary is my motto. Especially when I have a toddler hell-bent on self destruction and the destruction of everything else running amok.

Ingredients

1 butternut squash, skinned and cubed

1 large sweet potato, skinned and cubed

2 cans vegetable broth

1 yellow onion, diced

olive oil, for sauteing

cinnamon, to taste

Directions

1. Skin and cube squash and potato and steam 15 minutes (I just throw them in the steamer basket of my rice cooker)

2. Meanwhile, dice and saute onion in olive oil.

3. Once onion, squash, and potato are soft, pour into crock pot and cover with veggie broth and season with cinnamon. (the vegetables shouldn't quite be covered. If you poke around they go under the broth, but if they are floating, you have way too much broth. This is meant to be thick, like a bisque.)

4. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth.

(Or you can be like me and blend it in bouts in my Blendtec. Santa be nice to me this year...)

5. Season with more cinnamon and a hint of salt if needed

6. Eat immediately or cook on low for a few hours or just keep on the warm setting of your crock pot

6. ENJOY

The long version -

1. Dice and saute onion.

2. Dice and skin squash and potato

3. Combine everything in a crock pot and cook on high 4 hours until soft

4. Once, everything is soft, blend with immersion blender until smooth, or do bouts in a high power blender.

5. Serve immediately.

6. ENJOY

**See why I like the other version better?**

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