Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients

• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and roughly chopped
• 1 medium (about 3–4 lbs) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
• 1 white onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 sprig fresh sage
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• pinch of ground cinnamon and nutmeg
• 1/2 cup canned (unsweetened) coconut milk
• optional garnishes: extra coconut milk, smoked paprika, or see more ideas above

Directions

1. Add vegetable stock, garlic, carrot, apple, butternut squash, sage, onion, salt, pepper, cayenne, cinnamon and nutmeg to a small (4-quart) slow cookeror large (6-quart) slow cooker.  Toss to combine.
2. Cook for 6-8 hours on low, or 3-4 hours on high, or until the squash is completely tender and mashes easily with a fork.  Remove and discard the sage.  Stir in the coconut milk.
3. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth.  (Or you can transfer the soup in two batches into a traditional blender and puree until smooth, being extremely careful not to fill the blender too full with a hot liquid.)  Taste, and season with additional salt, pepper and cayenne as needed.
4. Serve warm, topped with your desired garnishes.