Honestly, never been a huge soup person with a few exceptions – my Maa’s tomato soup with homemade croutons, pasta fagioli (cause I’m basically half Italian growing up in Shaolin), and Panera’s broccoli cheddar soup, until I found out it’s made with chicken stock and has enough fat and sodium for a months worth of food and I stopped eating it 10+ years ago. So really, not much of a soup person. Why, you ask? I don’t think it’s the easiest to eat and quite frankly can be boring to eat. I like my dishes to have dimensions of flavor and texture, because eating should be… FUN!

BUT this week was a DOOZY. I was struck with the flu and it sucked. I had zero appetite, was on several meds, was a hermit in my apartment, could barely cook, and was all MEH. I didn’t have much of a desire to order in and I wanted something comforting. So the one day that I was able to leave my apartment for a few minutes, I went to compost my frozen scraps at my local farmers market and found these beautiful butternut squashes, onions, and carrots. So I decided to make a little comforting bisque – thicker than a soup and with a little more depth of flavor. This was has a little Southwestern kick with chipotle, cumin, and blue corn tortillas. So if you’re feeling down or just in the mood for something thick and comforting, try making this bisque!

Southwestern Butternut Squash Bisque:

• 1 small butternut squash
• 1 medium white onion – diced small
• 3 cloves of garlic – peeled & minced
• 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce – this brand is great
• 2 small carrots – diced same size as onions
• 1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 1 hefty tsp dried oregano
• whole nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup nut mylk – I used unsweetened plain Ripple
• olive oil
• salt
• black pepper
• 2 blue corn tortillas – I used Masienda Brand
• vegetable oil – for quick pan fry

1. Preheat the oven 350 degrees.

2. Using a sharp knife, slice the squash in half lengthwise to split open. Clean out all the seeds and place flesh side up on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Place in the oven to roast for about 25-30 minutes until its completely cooked and fork tender.

3. Remove the chipotle peppers from the sauce and wipe off excess sauce. Mince up. In a large heavy bottom pot, add in about 2 tbsp of olive oil. Place over medium flame. Once the oil is hot, add in the cumin seeds and sauté for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Then add in the onions and garlic. Sauté for about 2 minutes until the onions start sweating and releasing moisture. Next add the carrots and chipotle peppers. Add in a heavy pinch of salt, freshly ground black pepper, and dried oregano. You want to sauté this until the carrots start getting soft.

4. Once the roasted squash is cool enough to touch, scrape the squash ‘meat’ away from the peel and add to the sautéed veggies. Make sure to leave no squash ‘meat’ behind! Incorporate into the sauteed veggies. Once everything is soft, add in the water, nut mylk and grate in about 1/4 tsp worth of fresh nutmeg. Stir, lower the heat to medium-low and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, taste, as you may need to add some more salt. Next take a hand blender, and blend until completely smooth. It should be thick and silky like a bisque. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly before serving.

5. Heat a small non-stick skillet over medium heat. Pour in a layer of vegetable oil – just enough to cover the bottom. While it heats up, cut the tortillas into 1/4 inch long strips. Add a little piece into the oil to test and see if its hot. Once hot, add in the strips – make sure not over crowd. Crisp up and use tong to turn once. Cook for about 15-30 seconds on each side. Remove and drain on paper towel to cool and drain excess oil.

6. Divide bisque among 2 bowls and garnish with a little sprinkle of cumin powder, paprika, and top with crispy blue corn tortillas chips. Serve!