Soup's On! Butternut Squash & Black Bean

Here is my first cool weather soup.

This is a simple one.
You don't even need chicken stock as the base, you can use water, it will be flavorful enough.

I think the fresh lemon juice at the end makes this soup come together. Don't skip that.

The only hard part is cutting up the butternut squash, but you can cheat and buy it pre-cut to make life easier.

Butternut Squash & Black Bean Soup:

1 tbsp coconut oil
1 butternut squash, cut into cubes
1 yellow onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 tsp cumin
shake of cayenne pepper (depends on how hot you like it)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups of broth or water
salt & pepper to taste
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
fresh cilantro and avocado for garnish

Saute the squash, carrots and onion in the coconut oil on medium heat, until the onions are translucent.
Coat w/ the cumin and stir.

Add in the liquid and simmer for 25 minutes, until the carrots are soft.

Remove about 1/3 of the soup to a bowl and using a hand blender, puree the solids.

Add the pureed soup back into the pot with the rest of the soup.

Add in the drained beans and simmer with fresh cilantro for another 2 minutes.
Squeeze in 1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice.

Taste to adjust seasonings.

Serve in bowls and garnish w/ yogurt, cheese or avocado.

Freezes well too!

Enjoy!