Vegalicious

The dead of winter is nearly over.  While we did not get any show this year, it has been raining nearly non-stop in Washington. If you live in our state long enough, the rain eventually gets to you. It makes you feel like you are stuck in an eternal state of sleepiness–neither fully awake, nor fully asleep.  The days drag on, and we live even for a glimpse of sunshine.

The only refuge from dreariness is either a good book and a cup of hot tea, or great company and a bowl of delicious, hot soup.  I love both, but I am partial to soup.

But I think I already told you that…about a million times. 

Sunset Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

In anticipation of a warmer season, and more local organic produce to work with, I am working my way through my stash of butternut squash.  I have only one left.

One of my favorite ways to prepare squash is making steamed dumplings (we call them manty in Asia). They are so delicious and flavorful. I must confess–I find it hard to put them down and know when to stop eating. “Just one more,” I normally tell myself. While they are healthy and great for my body, eating too much is not :). My husband loves them too, so, they never last long in our house.

My second favorite way to consume butternut squash, which is rich in vitamins A, C, B6, B2, B3, K, manganese, copper, potassium, and fiber, is by making soups.  Since Hubby is a soup-wimp (don’t you ever tell him I said this!), I get to share butternut squash soup only with Sprout, who doesn’t eat much, so I can eat it to my heart’s delight.

Smoothly blended it slides right down my mouth, the throat and into the digestive tract, leaving my taste buds fully satisfied.  Topped with salty pistachios, or home-made salty croutons, the contrast of tastes is everything I look for in my food–creaminess, sweetness, saltiness.  Mmmmmm…. Just typing about it makes me want to run to the kitchen to start a fresh batch.

Butternut squash is a powerhouse of nutrition.  There is no reason to be intimidated by its hard shell.  Once you peel it away, the buttery insides will conquer your taste buds once and for all; not to mention that your body will thank you for it–squash helps to regulate blood sugar, and even protects you from cancer! The combination of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds in varieties of winter squash, including butternut squash, have shown this food to have clear potential in the area of cancer prevention and cancer treatment.

Prostate cancer is the cancer type that has been of greatest research interest in this regard, followed by colon cancer, breast cancer, and lung cancer.  (Source)

Enjoy a bowl of scrumptious, health promoting Sunset Butternut Squash Soup on me!