My maternal grandmother was an awesome cook and baker, but she didn’t just share her delicious treats with her family. She always wanted to help others, and would made sandwiches to take to the homeless at the beach when she lived in Florida, and later, when she lived in West Virginia, would bake goodies for the monks who lived on a mountain nearby. She also opened and operated a bed and breakfast for a while, and then owned a restaurant and did catering.

I think she probably improvised a lot and kept recipes on little scraps of paper and notecards, but her food was so popular that she ended up writing and selling a cookbook in her town.

One of the recipes in the cookbook is for a creamy butternut squash soup that sounded delicious and easy — but I decided to tweak it a bit to eliminate the dairy and make it vegan (though you don’t have to).

She would have definitely baked some fresh bread to go with the soup, but I didn’t make any this time. I do want to try the recipe for rolls that was printed with her name and photo in the Charleston, W.V., newspaper in the 50s, though.

Anyway, this soup is delicious and perfect for autumn (whether it’s 75 degrees outside or snowing). The apple and squash make it a bit sweet, but the stock, nutmeg and pepper give it enough savory flavor that it isn’t TOO sweet. And, of course, it would be perfect with some freshly baked bread.

Butternut squash soup (Adapted from my grandmother, serves 6-10)
1 butternut squash
1 medium onion
2 apples (Honeycrisp, Red Delicious, whatever you have)
2 tablespoons coconut oil (or unsalted butter)
3-4 cups low-sodium vegetable stock (chicken broth also works)
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup coconut milk (or regular milk)
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the butternut squash, use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and cut off the skin. Chop the squash into roughly 1-inch cubes. Chop the apples and onion.

Heat the coconut oil in a large stockpot over medium heat, then add the onion and apples. Allow to cook on medium for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent. Add the butternut squash and cook, stirring occasionally, for an additional 10 minutes.

Add the stock (3 cups if you like a thicker soup, 4 cups if you like it a bit thinner) and nutmeg and turn the heat up to bring the mixture to a boil. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low or low-medium and cook until the squash is tender, about 20 minutes.

Puree the mixture in a blender (or use a stick blender), then add coconut milk and stir well.  Serve warm.