Roasted Squash Soup

Try a two for one: The next time you are turning on the oven to 375 degrees, roast the squash, cool it slightly, peel and package to freeze. You'll have butternut squash on hand whenever you need it, and you can have dinner on the table in no time!

Soup
1 T olive oil
1 c onions, chopped fine
1 large butternut squash, approx. 3 lbs
4 c low sodium chicken stock
1 orange
1/2 c orange juice

Garnish
1/2 bunch cilantro, fresh, leaf only
1/4 c unsweetened coconut, flake
1 orange (zest, juice, and fruit)
1 serrano chili pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel, halve, and remove the seeds from the squash. Dice into 3/4 inch cubes. Spray a roasting pan with nonstick cooking spray, add cubed squash, and spray the top of the squash. Roast 20-25 minutes or until squash is tender. Remove from oven. Place oil in a dutch oven or medium size saucepan. Sauté the onion in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until it is softened. Add the squash and stock; cook the mixture, covered, over moderately low heat for 10 minutes. Add the orange zest and the juice; simmer the mixture, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Using a blender or food processor, purée the mixture in batches. (For a smoother texture, strain the soup through a sieve, but you'll remove some of the fiber.) In a blender or food processor, blend the coconut, hot pepper, cilantro, orange juice and flesh until mixture forms a puree. If mixture is too thick, add warm water to thin it. Ladle the soup into soup cups and garnish each serving with about a teaspoon of the pesto.
Makes 8 one cup servings.