Warming Roots 'n Squash Soup Recipe - a gluten free, dairy free, vegan dinner

Roots 'n Squash Soup

While the garden is still producing good food, I want to make the best of it and eat as much from the yard and as little from the store as possible. Good on the wallet, good on the environment, and good on the body. Here is one of many "I just came home from work and roamed the front and backyard and threw it together in a meal" dinners that I have been feeding Brian lately. I've made some sort of variation of this almost every night so far this week. So feel free to sub in what you have on hand, as this is really just a medley of your favorite starchy and spicy garden bounty.

Warming Roots 'n Squash Medley Recipe
Ingredients
1 small orange hubbard squash (you could sub in acorn or butternut or pumpkin)
1 large sweet potato
1 large beet
1 medium onion
2 peppers (I used jalepano and some kinda habanero but adjust to your spice levels as this much pepper is not for the faint-hearted.)
2 cloves garlic minced
Dash o' salt & pepper

Spicy Sweet Potato, Squash, and Beet Soup

• Wash, peel and cut the squash, sweet potato, and onion into 3/4-1" cubes, and the beet in 1/2" chunks (reserving the beet leaves). 
• Remove the stem, seeds, and inners of the peppers and chop finely (making sure to wash your hands thoroughly with soap after if using hot peppers so as not to cause burning on any body parts you touch after). 
• Heat 1 tbs of olive oil on medium to medium-low  in a 2" rimmed pan and add the peppers, onion, and minced garlic. Saute about 2 minutes until softened. Then add in the potato, squash, and beet cubes and saute for about another two minutes.
• Pour water just to cover everything and bring to a boil. 
• Cook for about 1-2 minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until veggies are tender and can be easily pierced with a fork.
• Turn off heat and scoop half of the veggies into a blender along with most of the cooking liquid. 
• Puree and then add back into the pan with the remaining veggies over low heat. 
• Cut up the beet greens and stir in with the rest. 
• Cook on low for about  3 minutes or until just barely wilted. 
• Salt and pepper to taste. 
• Serve alone or with a sprinkle of cheese or spoon of yogurt on top.

Variations I also tried this week: 
Instead of sauteing the peppers, onion, and garlic in oil at the start, steam saute them in water about 1/3" deep. When softened, add the other ingredients and cook with the lid partially on for about 15-20 minutes, or until the veggies are tender. Remove the lid and continue cooking until most of the liquid in cooked off. This will produce a thicker mix of cooked veggies as opposed to more of a soup, but still very warming and cozy.
Try adding any green tomatoes that are overstaying their welcome on the vine to the medley. They should soften up but hold their shape.
Try with all squash if you don't have a potato on hand.
Keep the beets to the side, grate them, and toss them in some lemon juice for a side salad
Add 5 of the spiciest peppers around, courtesy of Andrew planting about 7+ different kinds of peppers in the back yard from jalepeno, to thai chili, to habenero, and I believe there maybe even be a ghost pepper in the mix. This is the melt-your-face off version, which we enjoyed last night - brian was glistening with sweat!

Happy Fall in San Diego:

Bright maroon and orange leaves contrasted by an evergreen palm tree

Harvest moon rising along the eastern horizon of the 8 freeway

Shared on the Gluten Free Homemaker's Gluten Free Wednesdays as she is featuring gluten free squash recipes in the month of October - Yum! Also shared on Simple Lives Thursday and It's a Keeper Thursday 

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