Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Soup

I have been making soups a lot lately.  I forgot how easy they are to make and how wonderful it is to have something warm like this on a cold day.  I have to admit, since I have been eating grain free, I am still a bit confused about what to do about dense carbs.  So what I have been reading suggests that regulation of blood sugar or reducing inflammation by eating "good" carbs is appropriate depending on your level of activity.  On a grain free diet, there are still dense sources of carbohydrates that can be a part of your diet.  Here are some of those carbs: Cassava, Taro, Plantain, Yams, Sweet Potatoes, Parsnips, Lotus Roots, Winter Squash, Onions, Beets, Carrots, Butternut Squash, Rutabaga, Jicama, Kohlrabi, Spaghetti Squash, and Turnips.  Wow!  Who would have thought that list would be so long!   And this does not even include the list of fruits and nuts that are also high in carbohydrates.  If you are moderately active, you can eat about 75 to 150 mgs. of carbs a day.

So in the spirit being more conscious about my foods in general and thinking about what kinds of dense carbs I can eat given my activity level and the activity level of my family, I have been incorporating more of these foods in our diet.

I also want to give you a caveat, that I often don't share recipes because I don't measure things.  I throw a little bit of this spice and that spice in there and then I end up with this wonderful meal I want to share, but can't tell people exactly how to reproduce it.  So I'm going to be more mindful about measuring so I can share with others exactly what I did.  In this case, I tried to be fairly aware of what I did so that I can share it with you!

Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato
1 medium sized butternut squash
2-3 cups of chicken broth
1 can of coconut milk
2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Avocado for the top as a garnish

Directions:

1.  Poke holes in the sweet potato and bake it for about 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees
2.  Cut the butternut squash in half and place it with the open side down in a baking dish with some water in the bottom.  About 1/2 and inch.  Bake it for about 45 minutes.
3.  When the sweet potato and butternut squash are ready and have cooled, 1) peel the skin off the sweet potato and place it in your vitamix or other high power blender.  2) Scoop the seeds out of the squash and discard, then scoop the "meat" out of the squash (As much as fits in your vitamix.  You might have to do some of it, then take some out, and then add the rest) and place it in your vitamix or blender as well. In my case, I was able to place the sweet potato and half of the squash.
4.  Place the first cup of chicken broth in the vitamix (and add more if needed for the blender to run).
5.  Add the chipotle chiles, coconut milk, spices and blend.
6.  Remove some from the blender and add the remaining squash and remaining chicken broth.  (You decide how thick you want it so you can do 2-3 depending).
7.  Transfer it to a pot and heat up.

I know if I wanted to professionalize this whole thing, I would make the recipe over and over again and have people try it before I posted --- So, I would love to know how it worked and what you did differently if you tried it.  Thanks!

Just switch the chicken broth for vegetable broth if you want a vegan option!