Creamy vegan squash and kale soup

Cooking with butternut squash is super easy. Peeling and chopping it is the biggest impediment to my ever putting it to use. Some grocery stores will even sell it peeled and cut up for you, but I always balk at the extra price and figure I can cook with something else I like just as much without all the labor.

Still, one of these squash found its way into our kitchen not long ago. It mocked me. It was almost ASKING me to ignore it so that it could enhance my compost pile. So one morning when I was on the phone with a friend, I decided to just start peeling it (I have a hard time sitting still while on the phone, so standing in the kitchen chopping vegetables can soothe my desire to talk on the phone AND be productive.) Since I was multitasking, I didn't mind the time it took to chop. And it gave me the opportunity to make this easy and delicious soup.

My partner isn't a big fan of pureed soups. She likes to see what's in her food. I, on the other hand, like a nice creamy soup. So this was the solution -- creamy with chunks. The "creamy" part comes from using a stick blender part of the way through, but a regular blender would work, or you could put all of the squash in at once, leave the pieces whole, and take the word creamy out of the title.

Vegan Creamy Squash and Kale Soup

One butternut squash, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon olive oil
6 cups broth
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon tumeric
2 cups chopped kale or other green of your choice
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil in the bottom of your soup pot until soft, about 5 minutes. add the broth and 2/3 of the squash. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 12 minutes until the squash is tender. Remove from heat. Using a stick blender, puree the contents of the pot until smooth. Add the remaining squash and the kale and return to heat, simmering for another 12 minutes or until the squash and kale are to your desired tenderness.

Makes at least 6 servings