30 and counting....Spicy Butternut Squash Soup with Texas Pecans

It's cold.  Yes, 'cold' may mean 57 degrees here instead of 47 degrees, but my thin blood says it's winter.  To cure the cold, please gather the following ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
1generous tbsp of olive oil
1clove of garlic, chopped
1 16oz. bag of frozen butternut squash (I was skeptical, too.  It was on sale and turned out to be a big timesaver!)
1 qt Imagine Brand No-Chicken Stock
1 tsp of cinnamon
1/4 tsp of nutmeg
1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper (you can of course use less, a dash will work fine)
1 tbsp of butter (because it's winter and you deserve butter.  we all do.)
salt and pepper to taste

Get the oil hot in the bottom of your soup pot over medium heat.  Sautee the onion with a pinch of salt to make them sweat, 1-2 minutes.  Add the chopped garlic and sautee until the onions become nice and translucent. Next, add the cinnamon and nutmeg and stir till they coat your onions.  Add the bag of squash (no need to defrost).  Let this cook until the squash thaws and gives up some of its water.  Pour in the No-Chicken Stock and stir, making sure to get anything that's stuck to the bottom of the pot.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer, 10-15 minutes.  Remove from heat and get out your immersion blender. (a regular blender will work as well)  Blend until smooth, then add butter and cayenne and blend them in.  Salt and pepper to taste. 

I garnished mine (even though I was home alone and there was no one to be fancy for) with toasted pecans from Texas.  My Aunt Linda lives in San Antonio.  She gave me some pecans at Thanksgiving and they are fantastic!  I put them in the oven at 350 degrees on a cookie sheet or in whatever pan I can get my hands on and toast them till they turn darker brown and start to smell good.