Squash and Flax Seed Soup

A week or so ago, I posted pictures of the foods I'd serve at a birthday party for Elvis Presley. You and I both know what the man liked--greasy, fatty, sugary, heavenly Southern-style grub, bless his overworked, and likely enlarged heart. One loyal reader caught wind of what I was peddlin' and wrote, "Jenn!? Is this totally necessary? I'm trying to eat clean, you heartless fiend. Why would you screw me over with this temptation, thus subjecting me to a life in baby doll dresses and pajama jeans?" (*Comment may or may not have been totally embellished).

I took the comment to heart and thought to myself, "Self. You have a responsibility here. You are writing a blog. A blog in which a minimum of three or four hungry people log onto each and every day. You cannot in good conscience seduce them with pictures of sexy fried green tomatoes and pillowy layers of luscious banana pudding every week." Bi-monthly, tops.

And with that in mind, I bring to you a bonafide super-duper healthy recipe published in the Eat Clean cookbook. Know what's sittin' in those cups up there? Seeds of the sunflower and flax persuasion. Yes. Very healthy things. The kinds of things your grandmother is always trying to sneak into the muffin batter, right after you've licked the spoon. And they're both goin' in this soup.

As if those weren't enough to declog a few arteries, I also put SPROUTS in this soup. I must confess I have never bought a package of sprouts in my life, and thus was quite surprised by the variety available. I went with broccoli rabe sprouts, but you can use any kind you like.

That squishy orange stuff is roasted and mashed butternut squash. Stop yourself from topping it with brown sugar and jumbo marshmallows and reserve it for this soup.

The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook's Squash and Flax Soup

-2 tbsp flax seeds, soaked
-1/4 cup sunflower seeds, soaked
-1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
-1 medium onion, chopped
-2 cloves garlic
-2 ribs celery, trimmed and chopped
-2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
-1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cooked
-4 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
-1 cup sprouts, any kind
-2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
-1 tsp dried basil
-1 tsp dried oregano
-sea salt and fresh pepper to taste

Soak the flax seeds and sunflower seeds in two separate bowls of water for one hour.

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Saute onions, garlic, celery and carrots until the onions become soft.

Scoop flesh out of the cooked squash into a large stockpot or dutch oven. Add cooked onion, celery, garlic and carrot. Add four cups of stock and set over medium heat. Bring to a gentle boil. Puree these ingredients with a hand blender or transfer to a regular blender until smooth.

Remove from heat, then add all remaining ingredients including the soaked seeds and puree again. Add salt and pepper. If the soup is too thick, add some water and puree again.

Note: Do not heat this soup over high heat as it would destroy the nutrients in the flax and sunflower seeds.

Not only was this chock-full of good-for-you stuff, it was also damn tasty. It even got a few "mmm, mmm, MMMMS!" from the boyfriend, a man who would subsist on Entenman's crumb cakes and In-and-Out animal-style double-doubles if it were more socially acceptable. That's a good soup, y'all.