acorn squash and cauliflower soup

Though I eat soup year round, fall makes me long for the slurpy stuff multiple times each week. Whether it's a cup of tomato basil, venison chili, butternut squash and apple or Mama's best soup, I just can't seem to get enough. With an acorn squash ready to be cooked and some cauliflower in the fridge, I set out to combine the two to create a soup packed with vitamin A and C. Hey, just because it tastes good doesn't mean it's bad for you...

Acorn Squash and Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients

• 1 acorn squash
• 3 to 5 slices of bacon
• 1 head of cauliflower
• 3 large stalks celery, about 1 3/4 cups diced
• 1 large onion
• 32 oz chicken stock
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic pepper
• 1/2 tsp dill weed
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 2 dashes cayenne pepper
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• 3 tbsp raw honey

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and fill dutch oven with 4 inches of water and bring to boil. This pot will be used to cook the cauliflower.

2. Cut squash in half lengthwise, place face down on greased pan and bake for 45 minutes.

3. While squash is cooking, cook bacon, crumble and set aside as final topping.

4. Trim cauliflower leaves and core, then add chopped stalks to boiling water in dutch. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until tender.

5. Dice onion and chop celery, and sauté in pan with bacon grease until onions are transparent. Be sure to destring your celery.

6. After cauliflower has cooked, drain water and add chicken stock, milk, sautéed onions and celery, curry powder, salt, garlic pepper, dill weed, basil and cayenne.

7. When squash is cooked, scoop out and discard pulp, then scoop out meat and add to dutch oven.

8. Carefully blend using hand mixer.

9. Add in cheese and honey, and blend again.

10. In a normal blender, process the soup in batches until smooth. Be sure to turn your blender to a low setting. I failed to do this and the blender top flew off as steaming soup spattered everything within a two-foot radius.

11. Enjoy by garnishing with shredded cheese and crumbled bacon.