Butternut Squash Soup

Its soup season people - come on in and warm up!

1/2 cup small diced vidalia onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup peeled, chopped apple (Macintosh is a good one or Granny Smith)
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 pound peeled, diced potatoes (use red potatoes)
1 pound peeled, seeded, diced butternut squash
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1 cup fat free milk or soy milk
salt and pepper

1. Saute onion in olive oil until very soft and translucent. Add apple, thyme, nutmeg, ginger, and cook 3-4 minutes more.
2. Add broth, potato, squash and bring to a simmer and cook until vegetables are very soft (approx. 25 minutes). Season with salt and pepper.
3. Remove from heat and blend in pot with hand immersion blender (or cool slightly and use regular blender - but be careful you can get some killer burns with the regular blender).
4. Stir in milk, reheat if necessary but do not boil.

Serve topped with some pinenuts (pignola nuts) and a grating of Romano cheese and a nice crusty loaf of bread for cleaning up the bowl :)