Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I decided to change up my typical butternut squash soup recipe and add in some apple this time.  I also roasted not only the squash, but the onion and apple as well.  I really liked the flavor in this recipe, so I think this will be my new go-to butternut squash soup.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of butternut squash (1 package of cubed butternut squash from Costco) 
• 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped 
• 1 Honeycrisp apple, peeled and roughly chopped 
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil
• 4 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock 
• 1 tsp garlic powder or 1 clove fresh garlic
• 2 large fresh sage leaves or 1 tsp dried
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground nutmeg 
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 
• 1 tsp Himalayan salt 
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste 
• 3/4 cup coconut milk (I used Arroy-D)

Directions 

Preheat oven to 415°F. Toss squash, onion and apple with olive oil and some salt, and arrange on a large baking sheet. Roast until lightly browned on a couple of sides, about 40 minutes; use a thin metal spatula to turn pieces every 10-15 minutes during cooking. Set aside to cool slightly. 

Add squash, onion and apple to a blender. Pour 1/2 cup stock into the baking sheet and scrape up any browned bits, then pour into the blender. Add garlic powder, sage, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and pepper, and enough stock to blend until smooth. 

Pour blended mixture into a saucepan or Dutch oven and add any remaining stock. Over medium-high heat, bring to a simmer, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add in coconut milk and serve.  Makes 4 servings.

Homemade Mayonnaise

Finding a safe mayonnaise without corn has been near impossible.  I decided to try the trick of making mayo from a hard-boiled egg, and it works!  Not only is it very tasty (much better than store-bought!), but I no longer have to worry when I run out of mayo.  I can just make my own!

Ingredients

• 2 hard-boiled eggs
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1/4 cup avocado oil
• 1/4 heaping tsp salt

Instructions

• Add all ingredients to the cup of a blender and blend until smooth. If you prefer a thinner consistency, add splashes of water or oil.
• Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

I more often make a triple batch of this at a time, with 6 eggs, 6 tablespoons each of water and vinegar, 1 tablespoons of mustard powder, 3/4 cup of oil and 1 teaspoon salt.  Then I have enough to make a few things with mayo.  I've found hard-boiling eggs in my Instant Pot makes for the easiest-peeling eggs.