It’s time for Valentine’s, and I’m craving my love: the delectable, succulent, fulfilling treat that is called Autumn Squash Soup.

If you’re as addicted to this nectar of the gods as I am, you are probably experiencing withdrawals, too.

The only thing I do NOT love about Autumn Squash Soup at that bread restaurant (besides the tempting smell of bread) is the amount of carbohydrates per serving. It turns out that it tastes like dessert because it’s full of sugars.

Since I switched to a Keto lifestyle last spring, I only allowed myself two bowls at the restaurant this last fall. Yes, I am told I was very difficult to be around, until I decided to take my cravings into my own hands and make my own.

Thankfully I love to cook almost as much as I love to eat, so I tried adapting a few different copycat recipes that I found online. I had to make many adaptations because most of the recipes I found were reducing the fat content instead of the carbs. I am used to adapting recipes, though, because I am a celiac and have to do a lot of invention in the kitchen.

While it would be hard to be both Keto and vegan, this recipe could be easily turned into vegan by swapping the butter and chicken broth out for vegetable-derived alternatives. I like to eat meat, though, so I happily use my grass-fed butter and free-range chicken.

Apparently, besides all the addictive sugar, one of the secrets to the official recipe is the curry spice. Curry is a complex spice that varies a lot between brands. Unless you’re shopping at an international market, the bottle in your cabinet is actually a blend of spices that includes the curry leaf.

I actually have three blends of curry in my cabinet, and for my favorite batch, I used the extra spicy one. It was sweet with a great heat.

If you want to amplify the pumpkin pie nature of the soup, use a masala curry which has a higher ratio of the cardamom and cinnamon like pumpkin pie spice.

Another way to personalize your soup is by the blend of onion and bell pepper. If you like it hot, use more. If you want it more subtle, use less. It’s all up to you.

The final step is to blend with a hand-held blender, but if you don’t have one, you can use your regular blender. They’re very handy tools in the kitchen, though, so I recommend getting one.

Obviously, you can top with toasted pumpkin seeds like they do at the restaurants. I tried toasting my own, but for my second bowl, I ended up topping it with bacon bits instead.

That’s the great part of cooking at home; you get to eat it however you want it, and you don’t even charge yourself extra for the toppings.

If you happen to have leftovers, good for you! This soup freezes and reheats great, too.

You’re welcome! Next month I will share another secret to eating well and staying well.

By Livi West
www.oliviawestmusic.com