Mommy's Butternut Squash Soup

2 peeled & diced butternut squash***
1 peeled and diced all purpose potato
4 cups of vegetarian broth - if it needs to prepared, use 1/2 milk & 1/2 water
1 large onion
olive oil
2 garlic cloves or dried crushed garlic
a sprinkle of rosemary
1 teaspoon of butter
3 table spoons of all pupose whole-wheat flour
1/2 c light or heavy cream
salt & black pepper to taste
4 strips of Morningstar fake bacon - prepared
sesame oil diced fresh, or crushed dried basil

*** Time & Sanity Saver - Mommy really really dislikes peeling and chopping squash. Somtimes you can find it frozen, or buy it in the produce aisle already peeled or sliced. But when Mommy can't find it, she buys a bunch of squashes and does them all at once, freezing whatever she doesn't use that day. On those days, it's best to avoid Mommy because she's really cranky. But the yummy soup is worth it.

In a large pot, mix the diced squash & taters with the vegetarian broth. Let it cook until it boils. Then cover the pot, lower the heat and let it simmer until the veggies are soft. That's about 15 to 20 minutes. Give them a stir every so often.

Meanwhile, sautee the onions in some olive oil. When they're about done, add in the garlic & rosemary. Take them off the heat and set aside.

Grab a small empty bowl and place it next to the stove. Then, melt the butter in a sautee pan. Add in the whole wheat flour. Keep the mixture slowly moving at all times so it does not burn. Keep cooking until the flour turns brown - please note, you want to brown the flour not burn it - so don't walk away from the stove. It's one of those times that you see nothing happeneing for awhile, then it's brown, and in no time it's black. Immediatly dump the browned flour into the empty bowl so it stops cooking. This mixture will eventually give you a really fantastic woodsy taste in the soup.

When the squash & taters are soft, remove them from the pot using a large, slotted spoon and place them in a blender or food processor and give them a whirl to puree the veggies. You will probably have to do this in batches.

Place the veggies, flour and onion mixtures back in the broth. Mix in the cream, salt & pepper to taste. Warm everything on the stove for several minutes.

Follow the package instructions to prepare the Morningstar fake bacon strips. When they are done, crumble them, mixing them into the soup. Serve the soup in bowls with a little sesame oil & basil drizzled on top.

This is rich and yummy!!

Compliments of www.camsavegetarian.com