Fall always brings an abundance of squash at the 
With the slight cool down in the weather and a night with friends, it was the perfect time to make a hot, creamy, spicy soup.
First I sautéed several different peppers both sweet and spicy, together with onion in coconut oil, sprinkled with salt, pepper, paprika and cumin.
When the onions became translucent, I added 4 different varieties of squash cut into cubes as well as a bit of the ginger, jalapenos, lemon balm and garlic. I saved some some of the herbs and spices until later in the process because I like some of the flavor to meld in with the veggies, yet some of it to stand out and not get muddled during cooking.
I cooked these ingredients with the lid on the pot over an open flame on our handmade rocket stove built straight from the clay on our land. There's really something special about cooking over fire that really gives food a truly dynamic taste--and the fact that we use wood that was destined for the landfill adds another layer of sustainability that's unmatched by being attached to the electrical or gas grid.
Once the squash was soft, I poured it into the blender with some homemade broth and whirled it until it was smooth. I returned it to the pan to sear it in a thin layer of hot coconut oil, then added the remainder of my herbs and spices as above, as well as cilantro, thyme, cayenne and liquid aminos.
I served it in mugs straight from the pot with a dollop of sour cream, chopped chives and chive flowers from our garden. It was a spicy soup, calmed by the dairy, with a delicate texture and fresh bite from the chives.
I'm grateful there are leftovers, as tomorrow the soup will be great cold for lunch with a spoonful of homemade cilantro chimichurri on top!
I hope you'll try this recipe or a version of your own. It's fall--IMO, now is the time for soup...especially today just on the cusp of the harvest moon!
Shellie aka 
