roasted double-nut soup and contest winner

Flavor packed soup: 2 grams of fat, 115 calories and only 10 minutes of hands-on time.

Last fall, I received a gorgeous butternut squash as part of my CSA share. Thanks to its long shelf life, inherent beauty – and my lack of ambition – it's been adorning the basket on my island for the past 6+ months. The squash caught my guilty eye this morning as I settled in to peruse the New York Times while sipping my soy cappuccino. It had been sitting there long enough, I decided today was The Day. The slight chill in the air inspired me to transform the patient little squash into a pot of creamy and comforting soup. So I roasted it, along with a few onions and some unpeeled garlic cloves. The oniony, slightly heady aroma made my apartment smell like a nana's kitchen, and I immediately felt virtuous and industrious.

Just cut, roast and boil.

The roasted veggies infuse this soup with a flavor that tastes like you've been slaving in the kitchen all day. But it only takes roughly 10 minutes of hands-on time. Why Double-Nut? The name comes from the butternut squash and the addition of almond milk, which helps impart this soup with an earthy yet sweet richness. I recommend Soy Delicious' new almond milk, which besides being flavorful, has added protein.

Roasting garlic calms its bite, so this soup is infused with a mellow and almost creamy garlic flavor. I roast the garlic gloves whole, in their "paper"; I  just peel them after they've cooled.

Despite its creaminess, this decadent soup contains no added fat and weighs in at only 2 grams of fat and 115 calories per serving. Plus it's loaded with vitamins and minerals.

I know it's odd to post such an autumnal recipe in the spring. But remember: you can make this soup seasonal by subbing carrots for the squash. You can also sub other varieties of squash that you may have sitting on your counter from last fall's harvest.

Before I give you the recipe, please put your hands together for the winner of the Galaxy Vegan Cream Cheese Sample: Erin32mC! Congrats! Please email me with your mailing address.

Roasted Double-Nut Soup

• 1 medium butternut squash [or two cups cubed squash]
• 2 medium onions, peeled and halved
• 6 garlic cloves
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups plain almond milk
• 1 tsp salt [more or less to taste, I used smoked sea salt]
• 1 bay leaf

Serves 4

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a roasting pan with foil and spray it with cooking spray. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and place in the pan, orange-side up, along with the onions and garlic [Leave the paper on]. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Cover with more foil. Roast for 1 hour or until squash is soft.

Allow to cool. Spoon out the squash meat [discard seeds and string--or save seeds and toast them]. Place squash in a large soup pot.  Squeeze out garlic innards and add to the pot, along with the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then cover and lower to a simmer.

Cook for about 30 minutes or until all the flavors are blended. Carefully puree in a blender or with an immersion blender.