Dairy Free Diaries: Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Comfort food is a big necessity in this cold, wet weather. This rich, creamy, dairy-free soup is spicy and perfect for a cold day - an it only has a few ingredients and is SO simple to make! Butternut squash is one of the weekly specials at Aldi this week, making this filling & nutritious dinner for 4 cost around £1.50. No joke. Talk about a win-win-win.

I'm not fully dairy-free anymore, but I was for several months when my daughter was born, because she had various digestive problems when I ate/drank dairy products. With dairy being one of the most inflammatory foods we can eat (second only to gluten), I often recommend eliminating dairy to health coaching clients with various issues related to inflammation (eczema, bloating, blemished skin, etc). It doesn't have to be a restriction - there are tons of ways to eat delicious foods without giving a cow a second thought - and this recipe is one of them!

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash, halved and seeds scooped out
1 organic white onion, diced
1 heaped tsp madras curry powder
2 cups organic vegetable or chicken stock
1/2-1 cup non-dairy milk (I used soymilk)
Salt & pepper, to taste

Lightly rub the cut halves of squash with olive oil, and place cut-side down on a baking sheet. Roast at 180C/375F for 20-30 minutes or until squash is fork tender. Remove from oven, allow to cool, and then cut into 1" cubes.

In a large pot, saute onions in olive oil until lightly browned. Add curry powder and stir for 1-2 minutes before adding the stock. Then add the butternut squash, reduce heat, and cover with a lid. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes, then remove from heat and blitz with a hand blender (or, if you are using a conventional blender, allow to cool first!). Return to the pot, add non-dairy milk, and stir over medium low heat; add salt & pepper to taste. It's that simple! Voila!