Orange Scented Squash Soup Recipes

ORANGE SCENTED SQUASH SOUP

Steps:

• Spray a large saucepan with cooking spray; heat over medium heat until hot. Sauté onion until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in spices; cook 1-2 minutes longer.
• Add water, squash, apple and orange rind to the saucepan; heat to boiling.
• Reduce heat and simmer, covered until squash is tender, 10-15 minutes.
• Process soup in a food processor or with a stick blender until smooth; add orange juice and half-and-half.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm or chilled.
• Pour into bowls and top each with an orange slice and sprinkle with chives.

MY SPICED BUTTERNUT SQUASH, SWEET POTATO, CARROT AND ORANGE SOUP

Steps:

• If you are using a fresh butternut squash, cut it in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Peel it and cut it into 1-inch chunks.
• Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it softens, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger root and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
• While the onions are cooking, peel and dice the sweet potato and carrots.
• Add the cut vegetables and broth; bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook at a gentle boil until the squash is fork-tender, about 20 minutes (but this depends on the size of your squash cubes).
• Puree the soup in several stages in a blender. For safety's sake, since the soup is hot, do not fill the jar more than about 1/4 full each time, and blend on a low speed, covering the lid with an oven mitt. The soup should be completely smooth and a little thicker than heavy cream.
• Rinse your soup pot to remove any small chunks of food and strain it if you like (I do not strain).
• Heat the soup through again and season to taste with cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper and salt.
• Add some almond milk, a little at a time, to give soup a creamier consistency. (Instead of almond milk or Almond Breeze, you could probably use soy or rice milk or half and half).
• Just before serving, add about 2-3 teaspoons fresh orange juice (or to taste) to each bowl, if desired; stir to blend into soup.
• This soup tastes fine when it has been reheated. The soup will thicken as it chills, so you may want to add extra spice right at the start, if you know you will be re-heating some later. You will need extra Almond Breeze to thin it out after it has been refrigerated. I have kept it in the fridge for as long as 4 days and it was fine.
• You can sub pumpkin pie spice for the ground spices listed.
• Because the veggies make the broth very flavorful, you can also use half chicken broth and half water (2 cups of each) with good results.

ORANGE BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

Steps:

• Heat a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add one tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter.
• When the butter has melted, add the onion and carrots and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Deglaze with the orange juice and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Don't let the vegetables stick to the bottom of the pan.
• Transfer the mixture to a food processor or a blender. Puree the mixture until it is smooth and then return it to the pot over medium heat.
• Add the frozen butternut squash puree and chicken broth and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Bring to a boil and then lower the heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
• Grate some fresh nutmeg and stir to combine.
• Garnish with thyme and zest.

ORANGE-SCENTED WINTER SQUASH AND CARROT SOUP

Steps:

• Cut a square piece of cheesecloth to make a bag for spices, herbs and orange peel. Place allspice berries, cardamom cloves, bay leaves, thyme sprigs and strips of orange zest on cheesecloth. Fold two ends over, then roll up the cheesecloth like a burrito and tie tightly with kitchen string.
• Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven and add onion and carrots. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add winter squash and garlic and cook, stirring, until the mixture smells fragrant, about 1 minute. Add water or stock, potato, spice bag, and salt to taste and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour, until squash is very tender. Remove spice bag but first press it against side of the pot to extract liquid.
• Using a hand blender, or in batches in a regular blender, purée the soup. If using a regular blender cover the top of the jar with a towel pulled down tight, rather than airtight with the lid. Return to pot and whisk in the orange juice (or additional stock or water). Taste, adjust seasonings, and heat through.
• Toss quinoa with 1 teaspoon of the pistachio oil. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with some of the quinoa. Drizzle a little more oil over each bowl and serve.