I almost didn’t make this. Since I have ben pregnant I have not been real keen on squash. I normally love squash, but you know how pregnancy works… Anyway, so I had this on my menu but just wasn’t feeling inspired to make it. But then my sister said something about a squash soup SHE was making for dinner and suddenly, for whatever reason this sounded good all of a sudden. So I made it. Oh my word, I am so glad I did. This was SO yummy! My kids loved it, I loved it and I am sure my husband would have loved it had he been here to help eat it. What I love about this is that you cook everything in one big pot and then take about half of it and blend it and pour it back in. The result is this thick creamy soup without the flour or other thickening agent and without the heavy cream (as much as I DO love heavy cream!). Actually the recipe I was following called for heavy cream and I did add it but I tasted it first, thought to myself, “Wow I don’t think it needs the cream.” and then proceeded to add it just to keep things accurate. You never know what you might miss out on if you omit something like that. So your choice on that one! It was delicious both ways, but next time I’m not going to bother. Ingredients 2 cups thinly sliced leek (about 2 large) 1 Tbs Olive Oil 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 can white beans (Cannellini beans), drained and rinsed 1 – 2 cups less-sodium chicken broth 2 bay leaves 1/3 cup brown rice or a wild rice mix (I used the one from Costco) water to cover 2 cups cubed peeled Yukon gold or red skinned new potatoes 2 medium carrots, cubed 1 cup cubed butternut squash 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1/2 cup half-and-half (optional) salt black pepper Preparation Instructions 1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a dutch oven or large pot. Saute the leeks until they just start to soften and then add the garlic. 2. Next add the beans, rice, bay leaves and chicken broth. Add enough water to cover everything and then simmer, covered for 20 minutes. 3. Add in the potatoes, carrots, squash and chicken, adding enough water or broth to cover. Cover again and reduce heat, simmer for another 20 minutes, or until tender. 4. Remove the chicken and set aside. Then place half the soup mixture into a blender, place the lid on but remove the little center thing from the lid and place a clean dish towel over the top, blend until smooth. Pour the blended mixture back into the pot. 5. Chop the chicken into desired size pieces and put into the soup. 6. If you are adding the cream, you may add it now and heat the soup an extra couple minutes. 7. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve! Thanks for the recipe: http://livlifetoo.blogspot.com
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