It wasn’t until I started to make my daughter’s baby food that I learned to love butternut squash and since then it is a staple in our diet. Every Monday I decided that I would be making a soup or stew to last throughout the week. I threw this one together because I have been thinking about the time I made roasted butternut squash with butter and basil…mmmm…so good and I wanted to use basil and butternut squash together in a soup (minus the butter, no dairy for us). Making quick meals is tough at times when you are busy, amen? So here is how I made this versatile butternut squash soup:

This soup can be made paleo or vegan, but together they are flavorful!

1/2 c of fresh basil leaves
1/4 c of dulse leaves
1/2 tsp of Herbamare
1/2 tsp of Himalayan salt
3 cups of navy beans
1 small onion diced up
4-6 carrots chopped up
2-3 organic celery chopped up

One carton of organic vegetable broth
1 carton of precut butternut squash ( it is worth the extra $1 to buy pre cut) or just buy a medium sized squash

I threw the broth and squash in the slow cooker on high for 3 hours.

1 package of nitrate free apple smoked bacon cooked in the oven at 350 for 25 minutes, or until nice and crispy to crumble. I love using this method, no more greasy stove top to clean up!

Saute onions, carrots and celery using a little of the bacon grease or coconut oil, cook until the onions are translucent.

After the squash is done, through it all in your blender or Vitamix and add the basil and puree together until well blended. Pour it back into the slow cooker. Add salts, veggies, beans, crumbled bacon and cook for one hour on low.

Enjoy!

Make it Paleo by omitting the beans
Make it Vegan by omitting the bacon

Feel free to add some white pepper for a little zing.

Oh, what are dulse leaves or flakes? It is a sea veggie high in vitamins B6 and B12, as well as iron, potassium and fluoride. Unlike other seaweeds, it is relatively low in sodium.

Dulse also contains a large list of other vitamins and nutrients, including vitamins C, E, A, magnesium, calcium, dietary fiber and protein. Additionally, dulse is a natural source of iodine, essential for thyroid gland health and thyroid hormone secretion.

Sea Veggies are making a comeback and offer a unique variety of health benefits including anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-viral (which makes it a great immunity booster). In fact, sea veggies contain more minerals than any land-based edible plant. And since these minerals are found in our systems it makes it easier for our bodies to absorb.

This is a great thing to keep around your home, I add them to all of our soups and other dishes, especially homemade chicken soup when we are sick (for its anti-viral properties), it is a great for vegetarians or others who has a compromised immune system.

Don’t worry, it does not have a fishy taste, so you have nothing to lose by adding some to your dishes.