WINTER SOUP - LOW CALORIE, TOO!

ROASTED VEGETABLE SOUP - RICHARD

• 1 pound carrots, peeled
• 1 pound parsnips, peeled
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled
• 1 small butternut squash, peeled and seeded (about 2 pounds)
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil (or EVOO)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 cup Half and Half (or milk)
• 1 QUART chicken or vegetable broth (Swanson's)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Cut the carrots, parsnips, sweet potato, and butternut squash in 1 to 1 1/4-inch cubes. All the vegetables will shrink while baking, so don't cut them too small. Place all the cut vegetables in a single layer on 2 baking sheets. Drizzle them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss well. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender, turning once with a metal spatula.
Remove veggies from oven and place in a soup pot. Add the heated Chicken or veggie broth and stir well to heat up. Then I use a hand blender to puree the veggies and add the Half an Half at the last minute.  (Or you can put it all in your Cuisinart and puree them and THEN put them in the soup pot.  But just pulse a couple of times (you want the veggies slightly chunky)

NOTE:  I also make my own croutons by cutting day old loaf bread into 1 inch square chunks and then placing them on a baking sheet (just as you did the veggies) and sprinkling them with EVOO and coarse pepper and baking for about 10 minutes until they are crisp.
Garnish soup with the crouts.

This is a GREAT winter meal.