Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Soup

Okay, so you should pretty much make this today. Seriously, it's one of the best new recipes I've tried in a long time (and I got it from The New York Times of all places).

1 tablespoon canola oil (I used olive oil)

1 small onion, chopped

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (I probably used a little more, and also added a couple cloves of garlic)

1 pound butternut squash, peeled and diced (I used 1 whole small squash)

1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (I used 2 medium sweet potatoes, one white, one orange)

1 medium-size Yukon gold or russet potato, peeled and diced (I used a large red potato with the skin on)

6 cups water, chicken stock, or vegetable stock (I used low-sodium chicken broth)

Salt and pepper to taste

**Note** I also added a pinch of nutmeg, which I think gave it a little extra something delightful!

1. Heat the oil in a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and stir together until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the squash, sweet potatoes, regular potato, and water or stock, and bring to a simmer. Add salt to taste, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes, or until all of the ingredients are thoroughly tender.

2. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup (or you can put it through the fine blade of a food mill or use a regular blender, working in batches and placing a kitchen towel over the top to avoid splashing). Return to the pot and stir with a whisk to even out the texture. Heat through, adjust salt and add pepper to taste.

Yield: Serves 6

Advance preparation: You can make this a day ahead and refrigerate. Reheat gently. The soup freezes well. Once thawed, whisk well to smooth out the texture, and reheat.

Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories: 189; Calories from Fat: 29; Total Fat 3.2g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium,776mg; Total Carbohydrates,38.6g; Dietary Fiber, 5.7g; Sugars, 3.6g; Protein: 3.5g; Vitamin A 163%; Vitamin C 61%; Calcium 7%; Iron 8% (Approximate nutritional information provided by calorie-count.com)