Happy Sunday fam! I hope you had an amazing week and are ready to conquer the week ahead. Not sure about you, but as the weather starts to get chillier, my body craves a nice warm bowl of soup. In fact, Matt and I have a fall/winter ritual that we’ve so creatively named “Soup Sunday.” Given the time of year and my recent obsession with butternut squash, I decided to try making a butternut bisque.

I’m getting all the feels as write this because butternut bisque reminds of a restaurant I used to go to in my hometown. I’d sip on a bowl of that delicious bisque while sharing so many wonderful memories with family and friends (insert daydream sigh). Does food evoke memories like this for you? Maybe it’s just me. Anyway, my challenge with any type of bisque these days is my dairy allergy. So, I decided to take it upon myself to make a dairy-free version of my nostalgic little bowl of heaven. And let me tell you…It. Is. delish. I even got the seal of approval from Matt, who typically shakes his head at my recipe modifications (insert angry glare).

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to share some of my favorite healthy recipes. This little beauty is my first installment of my healthy holiday recipe. I will prove to you that you don’t have to sacrifice flavor for health. Scouts honor. And just my friendly reminder that you can modify based on your own dietary restrictions and flavor preferences. For example, I decided to sprinkle some of Cathy’s Ginger Cinnamon with Chipotle spice (a small, Baltimore based business…shop local folks) on my bowl of soup and it was the bomb.com. Matt isn’t a big ginger fan, so I chose to leave it out of the batch and add later.

So what about the health benefits?

If you aren’t into the whole understanding the health benefits thing…skip to the end for the blog. But if you’re a fellow nutrition-nut and/or minor nerd like myself, continue reading. You’ll probably hear me talk A LOT about micronutrients (all them vitamins), phytonutrients, and antioxidants because more and more research continues to support the mountain of health benefits. I can go on for days…but I won’t. So here’s a quick breakdown of some of the ingredients in my soup and the potential health bennies. And just because I have to throw this in there, this recipe is calorie and macro-friendly for all those tracking. If you find it beneficial, I can start including the macronutrient breakdowns. Let me know!

Butternut Squash: Like their carotenoid siblings, this beauty is a great source of beta-carotene (which can be metabolized as Vitamin A in the body). For more info in that, check out my   “Do You even Pumpkin?” blog (delish recipe include). Butternut squash is also a great source of potassium (1 cup has more than a banana), vitamin C, and fiber. You’re bowels will thank you.

Garlic and Onions: Both of these flavorful gods are rich in prebiotics (important for digestive health and calcium absorption), as well as, thiols/sulfides which are linked to heart, digestive, and immune health.

Tumeric: If you committed to actually reading this section, then I’d say you’re interested enough in health and wellness to have heard about the anti-inflammatory properties of the Indian spice tumeric, which comes from Curcumin plant. Chronic inflammation has been linked to a variety of health concerns and diseases. That being said, there’s still a lot of research to be done in this area, but I’m all for taking proactive steps using ingredients that clearly can’t hurt.

Now onto the liquid gold..my dairy-free Butternut Bisque! I’m attempting a new format with the recipes, so bare with me!

Dairy Free Butternut Bisque

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

As I mentioned above, you can modify this to your own preferences or top it with whatever tickles your fancy. I’ve seen some people add apples, nuts, and seeds to give the bisque a little extra pizazz. Whatever you do, do it with love. Until next time,

~Christina