RECIPE

Cozy Season

Chef Collette Haw

Welcome to cozy season! It’s the time of the year for bodywarming soups and stews, and with cold and flu season approaching, it’s also a good time to keep your immunity up. This soup is filled with Vitamin C-packed butternut squash and carrots, two superfoods perfectly designed to keep you healthy. These veggies are both high in Vitamin A, which also supports healthy immune systems, in addition to protecting your eyes from certain age-related declines, supports bone health and may lower your risk of certain cancers. All of those health benefits and this soup is delicious, too!

I love cooking up a big batch of this soup on the weekend and then freezing leftovers for quick weeknight meals. And if you’re caring for a friend or loved one who’s feeling under the weather, a steaming bowl of this soup is guaranteed to make them feel better.

Want more ideas? Visit YourHealthandWellbeing.org to join me in the kitchen for more fresh recipes!

Chef Collette Haw studied at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America. After training in some of the country’s most honored restaurants, she became a personal chef for celebrities. She then launched her own business, Collette’s Clean Eats, to provide healthy, prepared meals to busy families. Haw is now a restauranteur, partnering with the Winter Park Health Foundation to operate Nourish Coffee Bar + Kitchen in the Center for Health & Wellbeing in Winter Park, Florida.

Photography by Jacob Langston

Roasted Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup

Makes 6 to 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 head garlic 3 tablespoons avocado oil 1 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt 8 cups butternut squash, diced 2 cups carrots, diced 1 medium yellow onion, sliced 8 cups vegetable stock ½ cup cilantro ¼ cup coconut milk 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced 1 teaspoon maple syrup Salt & pepper to taste

You can garnish with cilantro and roasted pepitas if you wish. Enjoy!

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Once the oven is preheated, slice the whole head of garlic in half, wrap in foil and roast for about 20-25 minutes or until garlic is soft. While garlic is roasting, roast your butternut squash and carrots in the same oven. Toss your butternut squash and carrots in 1 tbsp avocado oil, season with some salt and pepper and roast for about 25-30 minutes or until tender and golden brown.

2. Preheat a heavy bottom stock pot on medium high heat and add the remaining 2 tbsp avocado oil. Sauté the onion slices until caramelized, once caramelized add your roasted butternut squash and carrots and squeeze your roasted garlic into the pot.

3. Add your salt, vegetable stock, coconut milk, and ginger, simmer for 20 minutes.

4. Add your cilantro, and maple syrup and blend in a blender until smooth or you can use a stick blender.

Once blended, season with salt and pepper.