It’s time to get out those favorite soup bowls, light the candles, and prepare a simple mixed green salad to accompany this meal.
Ingredients:
cooking spray
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
1 teaspoon margarine or butter
1 medium sweet onion, diced
2 apples, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cups fat-free chicken broth
1 medium butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup lite coconut milk
1/2 cup fat-free half & half
6 tablespoons commercial cranberry chutney (finely chopped)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.
1) Sprinkle pecans evenly over surface of cookie sheet. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes or until pecans are toasted. Remove and set aside.
2) In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, melt margarine or butter over medium heat, add onions, apples, and nutmeg. Cook and stir 3 minutes.
3) Add chicken broth and squash. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 20 minutes, until squash is very tender.
4) Process squash mixture (in 2 batches) in a food processor until smooth.
5) Return squash mixture to pot. Add coconut milk, fat-free half & half. Stir well (you can add additional chicken broth if the soup is too thick). Heat until hot.
6) Ladle into soup bowls and dollop with 1 tablespoon cranberry chutney, sprinkle with toasted pecans, and serve hot. Makes 6 servings.
Nutritional Analysis per serving: 190 Calories; 39 percent fat (8.2 grams); 4.5 grams saturated fat; 10 percent protein; 51 percent carbohydrate; 4.3 grams fiber.
