I love the end of summer for its abundance of fresh and ripe fruits and vegetables! I always try to incorporate seasonal veggies in my meals, because this is what brings versatility to your food in the end, and provides for optimal nutrition as well.

The other day when I was at the farmers market I saw all these colourful summer squashes – all different in shape and size and all so beautiful! I got my eye on a smooth and blemish-free squash, richly coloured in yellow/orange, and I could not resist it. So I got it not really knowing what I am going to do with it. The easy part with squash is that its delicate and mild flavour can go with so many dishes, so I didn’t worry for a second that I might run dry of ideas to cook it.

The weather got a bit cooler these days, with some showers and storms, and instinctively I started craving a warm, comforting soup. And as I was playing with options on what soup to make, I glanced at the bright yellow summer squash in my pantry. The search was done! This was going to be an easy and super yummy soup! I used whatever veggies I had in stock and came up with this delicious recipe.

But before we get to the recipe let me give you some nutritional information on the ingredients in this recipe:

• summer squash is a rich source of vitamin A and C, magnesium, fiber, folate, potassium and vitamin B6. In addition, it is high in manganese, a mineral which helps the body process fats, carbohydrates, and glucose.
• sweet potatoes and carrots contain beta-carotene – a powerful beauty vitamin, as well as carotenoids  – a strong antioxidant.
• ginger adds that spicy and pungent flavour and can help with gastrointestinal problems, has anti-inflammatory effects and boosts the immune system

So you know you will be preparing something healthy, that will nourish your cells and offer you a delicious meal as well. Here is what you will need for the soup:

Ingredients: (Serves 6-7)

• 1 medium sized yellow squash
• 1 sweet potato
• 3 carrots
• 1 heaped tbsp coconut oil
• 1 onion
• 3 stalks celery
• 3 cloves garlic – minced
• ginger (the size of a thumb) – minced
• 400ml coconut milk
• 2 cups of veggie stock (from boiling the sweat potato and squash)
• salt
• black pepper
• cayenne pepper (optional)

Method:

1. Peel the squash , remove its seeds and cut in big chunks
2. Peel the sweet potato and cut it in 4 parts
3. Place the squash and sweet potato in 2 -3 cups of boiling water and boil them until they get soft for about 10-15 minutes
4. Once soft, take them out and let them cool a bit. Keep the water in which they boiled on the side, you will need it later.
5. Peel and chop the onion, carrots and celery into small cubes
6. Heat the pan with the coconut oil in it and add the veggie cubes
7. Once they get heated a bit add the minced ginger and garlic and mix well. Stir until the veggie cubes soften.
8. While the veggies are in the pan, place the boiled squash and sweet potato in a food processor and blend until pureed.
9. Once the veggies in the pan are soft, place them in the food processor as well and blend again. Pulse until you get a creamy consistency.
10. Add the vegetable stock and blend again.
11. Return the soup in the pot in which you cooked the squash and sweet potato, add the coconut milk and stir well.
12. Spice it with salt, black pepper and if you are a fan of spicy food (like me) add something spicy.
13. Enjoy while hot!