Autumn in a bowl

Call it what you will, autumn or fall, it is by far my favorite season. I love to get out the cozy sweaters, extra blankets and snuggle by the fire. My girls are super excited for the leaves to fall so we can jump in them. And, of course, Halloween is just around the corner. 

Autumn is the best time of year to bring out the crock-pot and start making yummy soups. I don't know that there is much better than a steamy hot bowl of something delicious, a fresh, crusty baguette, and creamy, smooth real butter. I'm in heaven!
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Autumn is also the best season for squash. The other day we picked up a small-ish butternut and a small acorn squash for this soup, but there are so many varieties available these days. How many can you name? 
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1. Kabocha (Japanese for squash)
2. Butternut
3. Red Kabocha
4. Carnival
5. Sugar pumpkin - your best choice for REAL pumpkin puree! Roast, mash and you're ready!
6. Sweet Dumpling
7. Spaghetti
8. Blue Hubbard
9. Delicata
10. Red Kuri
11. Buttercup
12. Acorn

Aside from the spaghetti squash and sugar pumpkin, just about any of these would make a great soup. Some have a more nutty flavor, some are more mellow and sweet. I highly recommend you bring home a variety you haven't tried before and experiment!
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This is the ultimate crock-pot soup. It is so easy, it's crazy. I'm a bit smitten with it to be honest. It's the perfect creamy, coconut-y, warming, flavorful soup. It's also crazy easy to change it up a bit, too. It takes a bit of peeling and chopping to prep, but once that's done, leave it on low and let it go! Some recipes call for roasting a squash first, which definitely makes it easier to scoop out the good stuff. I wanted to save some time and opted to peel the squash instead. A regular vegetable peeler works just fine. Then chop into smaller chunks, add your onion, coconut oil, and your bone broth, salt and pep, cover and walk away for a while. Take a mug of tea or mulled wine, read a book, play in the leaves with your kids, whatever feels fall-ish to you.

After a few hours the squash will be all nice and soft. Here's where I break out the immersion blender. I inherited this from my mom, and along with her 1970's Sunbeam food processor, it's one of my favorite kitchen tools. If you don't have one of these, transfer the mixture to a regular blender and blend until smooth. This basic soup is such a simple, hearty, healthy soup you might want to make a big batch and freeze some for those nights you need a quick dinner at the ready. 
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Ingredients
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 small butternut squash, peeled and chopped
1 small acorn squash, peeled and chopped
1 small red onion, peel and chopped
2 cups bone broth (or vegetable)
1 can coconut milk (I prefer full fat)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

• Add coconut oil to large crock-pot 
• Add chopped squash and onion, stir to coat
• Add bone broth and coconut milk, stir and walk away
• When squash is soft, use your immersion blender or transfer contents to blender and puree until smooth and creamy. Return to crock-pot and set to low or warm (depending on your crock-pot's tenacity)
• Taste and adjust seasoning as needed

Garnishes

• Cumin sour cream - add a drop of Cumin essential oil to a 1/2 cup sour cream, thin with water and drizzle on top
• Chopped walnuts
• Pepitas

Tweaks

1. Add a few roasted red peppers to the crock-pot at the beginning, along with 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper. After pureeing, add 1-2 drops of Cumin essential oil or 1/4 tsp ground cumin. Stir to combine.
2. Instead of cumin, try 1-1/2 Tbsp Garam Masala, 1/4 tsp ground Cinnamon (or 1 drop Cinnamon essential oil), 2-3 Tbsp Maple Syrup, 1 Tbsp minced garlic at the beginning
3. Make it anti-inflammatory and super grounding! Add 1 Tbsp ground turmeric, 1/4 tsp nutmeg and 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground ginger or 1-2 drops Ginger essential oil
4. Experiment with your favorite spices (or essential oils) such as Thyme, Marjoram and Rosemary!

If you try this recipe, let me know what you think! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to take a picture and tag it #nealeythereeo on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.