Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash
• 1 onion coarsely chopped
• 2 carrots coarsely chopped
• 2 celery stalks coarsely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves chopped
• 2 apples, peeled and diced
• 5 fresh sage leaves
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1 cup apple juice
• 2/3 cup plain Greek Yogurt
• 3 tablespoons slivered toasted almonds
• Olive oil

Directions:

1. Peel and dice the butternut squash into 1 inch pieces (discarding the seeds/pulp). Toss with olive oil, salt & pepper and roast in the oven at 375 degrees F until tender (about 45 minutes).
2. While the squash roasts, add the chopped onion, carrot, celery, garlic, to a soup pot with olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until the onions are translucent. Add the diced apple and sage leaves to the soup pot to cook for 5–10 minutes.
3. Once the squash is tender, remove it from the oven and add it to the soup pot. Cover all the vegetables with the apple juice and chicken stock. The liquid should be 1–2 inches over the squash, if not, add some additional water to cover. Cover, and simmer the soup for 15–20 minutes.
4. Blend the soup (either with an immersion or regular blender) until smooth. Taste, and adjust the salt and pepper if needed.
5. Turn the heat to low and add all but 1-2 tablespoons of the nonfat yogurt. Stir to combine, and the soup is finished.
6. Put the remaining nonfat yogurt into a sandwich baggie, and push it down into the corner. Snip a very tiny whole on the corner of the sandwich bag, to create a piping bag. Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with the slivered almonds, and then use the “homemade” piping bag to do a random design across the soup. Hope you enjoy it!