When it comes to fall food, soup is on my list of favorites. This soup, or bisque, combines savory flavors with spices normally found in sweeter dishes. The cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger make this bisque taste like fall! While this soup will bring you comfort, it’ll also fill you up with lots of good stuff your body needs.
Between the sweet potatoes and winter squash, there are many nutrients in this soup.
Just to name a few…
- Iron
- Beta-carotene
- Vitamin A
- Fiber
- Calcium
- Antioxidants
- Vitamin C
- Magnesium
Even the spices in this bisque have some health benefits to make us take notice
Ginger, which packs a punch when it comes to flavor, can also assist in weight loss, may soothe IBS symptoms, can block heartburn and may even improve circulation.
Cinnamon contains antioxidants, may help lower cholesterol, is known to improve digestion and is anti-inflammatory.
Nutmeg isn’t just good for fall flavor. It may help relieve congestion and cold symptoms, give relief to stomach aches, may assist in detoxifying the liver, and can even moderate mood swings, depression and hormone imbalance!
Serving ideas…
Since this bisque is a puree, I enjoy adding some elements to give it a little more texture.
Some ideas are raw pumpkin seeds and croutons. Instead of adding in processed croutons that may be packed with preservatives and artificial ingredients, I simply toast a slice of sprouted grain bread, cut it into squares and toss in the soup.
To enhance this savory dish, add a little fresh avocado crema. It adds a fresh cool flavor to this warm and savory bisque. See recipe below.
Helpful tip…
If you are in the market for a new blender, I use the Ninja Professional Countertop blender. I like this one because it includes the larger blender container and two smaller cups for individual servings. For this recipe, I use the larger container to puree the bisque and the small individual cup for the crema.
Roasted Acorn Squash & Sweet Potato Bisque
Sweet and savory combine to create this cozy comfort food.
Ingredients
- 1 Acorn Squash
- 1 large sweet potato or 2 small
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, broth or water
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- ½ cup bell pepper (red, orange or yellow), chopped
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tsp fresh ginger root, grated
- ¾ tsp nutmeg
- ¾ tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup unsweetened full fat coconut milk (canned)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 400.
- Step 2 Carefully cut acorn squash in half, remove seeds and lay flesh side down on baking sheet. Poke holes all over sweet potato using fork and place on baking sheet with squash. Bake in oven for 40 minutes or until a fork can easily be interested into the squash and sweet potatoes.
- Step 3 Carefully remove from oven and scoop squash into bowl. Cut sweet potato in half and using an oven mitt, squeeze out sweet potato into same bowl as squash. Mash with a fork and set aside.
- Step 4 In a stock pot, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, broth or water. Add garlic and onion, cooking for a minute, add peppers and sauté another minute.
- Step 5 Add mashed veggies, broth, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Step 6 In batches, carefully transfer to blender and puree. I was able to do this in two batches.
- Step 7 Return to stock pot and add coconut milk, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and allow to simmer another couple of minutes.
- Step 8 Serve in soup bowls and garnish with raw pumpkin seeds, sprouted grain croutons and fresh avocado crema (recipe below) if desired.
Avocado Crema
These fresh ingredients will enhance any dish.
Ingredients
- 1 Avocado
- 1 tbsp onion, diced
- 1 tbsp bell pepper (red, yellow or orange), diced
- 1 tbsp fresh cilantro
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- Juice from ½ of a lime
- 3 tablespoons water
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Step 1 Combine all ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth (I use the single serving Ninja option). Serve over soup, tacos or as a dip.