Paleo, Gluten Free and Dairy Free Butternut Squash Soup.?

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup (1/4-inch) diced onion

1/4 cup (1/4-inch) diced carrot

1 cinnamon stick or a dash of ground cinnamon

Sea salt, preferably gray salt

Freshly ground black pepper

About 4 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon ground toasted coriander, optional

1 1/2 cups Roasted Winter Squash

1/2 cup half-and-half or sour cream, optional and will not be dairy free anymore if you add it

Toasted Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)-Totally my FAVE part!

Roast the Butternut Squash in the oven drizzen with olive oil and salt and pepper either diced or whole until soft. Let is cool, dice it (if not already diced) and mash it up. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add the onion, carrot, and cinnamon stick and saute until soft but not brown, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the chicken stock and the coriander, if using, and bring to a boil. Simmer for several minutes. Stir in the squash until smooth, then simmer gently to let the flavors meld, about 10 minutes. Discard the cinnamon stick if you used one.

Puree the soup in a blender until smooth. (The soup can be made ahead to this point, cooled, covered, and refrigerated for several days or frozen for about 1 month. It will thicken as it cools and may need thinning with stock or water when reheating.)

Return the soup to the pan and reheat gently. Add the half-and-half or sour cream, if using. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Keep warm until service. To serve: Ladle the soup into serving bowls. Garnish evenly, with pumpkin seeds, if desired.