November Harvest Vegetable Soup

Have you ever been chilled to the bone on a rainy day in November? That's the kind of day it was when we created this hearty low-carb harvest vegetable soup. The robust flavor comes from a vegetable and seasoning blend of carrots, kale, mushrooms, celery, heirloom tomatoes, sautéed onions, garlic, fresh thyme, oregano and roasted butternut squash ... it's a soup harkening to the bounty of the harvest and heralding warmth for the crisp days ahead. (To make it vegetarian, use vegetable stock and vegetable bouillon instead of chicken.)

Ingredients

3 carrots, chopped into 1/2" chunks
3/4 c celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1/2 tsp garlic salt
10 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced and sautéed with butter
10 oz butternut squash, cubed and roasted
10 oz fresh kale, chopped into large pieces
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf
3 tsp fresh thyme, minced (2 tsp for roasting the butternut squash, 1 tsp for the soup)
Fleur de sel and freshly ground pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil (2-3 T) and butter (1 T)
2 c chicken or vegetable broth
6 c water
3 chicken or vegetable bouillon cubes
1/3 c fresh parsley, chopped
4-5 small mixed heirloom tomatoes, chopped and seeded

Process

1. In advance, mix 1 T extra virgin olive oil with 2 tsp of minced fresh thyme with the butternut squash cubes. Spread on cookie sheet and roast at 350F for 25 minutes. Set aside and let cool.

2. Also in advance, slice and sauté fresh mushrooms in about 1 T of butter. Set aside.

3. In large dutch oven, sauté onion, garlic, carrots and celery until wilted. When they develop color, add the mushrooms and kale. Continue to sauté, adding garlic salt, oregano, the remainder of the fresh thyme, and salt and pepper ti taste. Mix well over a medium flame.

4. Add tomatoes, bay leaf, water, stock and bouillon. Let simmer for 1 hour or more. When almost ready to serve, add the roasted butternut squash and stir, combining all.

5.  Serve with your favorite apple cider beer or white wine, and crispy French bread. Serves about 6-8. The flavors get even better when reheated next day as a leftover!