Roasted Root Veggie/Coconut Soup

This recipe was nothing but a happy accident -- I wanted to use up some leftover roasted root veggies and started mixing a few ingredients on hand until I ended up with what I think this may be the best soup I've ever made.  And it's so easy!

Here's how you could do it from scratch.

Peel and cut 2 large sweet potatoes into 1 inch chunks
Peel and cut 1 large butternut squash into 1 inch chunks
Peel and cut 1 cup of carrots into 1 inch chunks
Peel at cut 1 medium onion into 1 inch chucks
Peel and smash 5 large cloves of garlic

Place all of this in a large baking dish.  Add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon of real maple syrup, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper.

Roast in a 450 degree oven for 45-60 minutes, until all the veggies get lightly browned and carmelized around the edges.

Let it cook and place it in a large pot.  Cover with vegetable or chicken broth (if you are using store bought, I recommend a low-sodium product), with the broth covering the veggies by about an inch or two.  Add 2 tablespoons of coconut oil or 1/2 cut of coconut milk.

Warm up the broth until it boils and then shut it off to cool a bit.  Using an immersion blender or a conventional blender, puree the mixture thoroughly.

It should be pretty thick but if it's too watery, bring the soup to a low boil and let it cook uncovered until some liquid evaporates and it reaches the desired consistency.  Test for salt before serving and add more if needed.