Raw Thanksgiving Recipe: Butternut Squash and Apple Soup from Rawsome Eats Chef Nina Kauder

Busting out a raw, vegan recipe for Thanksgiving probably seems incongruous given that the holiday basically centers around cooking a dead bird for hours on end. But in case you want to add a lighter option to the menu or you just got word that your health-nut sister-in-law is coming to dinner, raw food private chef Nina Kauder has a recipe for "a simple and quick soup" that she promises is the "perfect dish for most everyone."

Kauder, creator of Palm Beach County based Rawsome Eats said her Thanksgiving-appropriate butternut squash and apple soup is gluten-free, as well as free of soy, nuts, and dairy. "All you need is a knife and a blender," Kauder said.

See Also:

- Awesome Thanksgiving Recipe For Sweet Potatoes From The Rebel House's Michael Saperstein

- Restaurants Serving Vegetarian Thanksgiving Dinners in South Florida: Darbster, Sublime, and Le Bistro

- Q&A With Raw Foods Chef Christopher Slawson of Christopher's Kitchen

Kauder said this soup can easily be heated or reheated, but encourages home cooks to try it raw.

"Served cold, raw squash soup is an excellent antidote to our steamy hot days," Kauder said. "Right out of the high-powered blender, the soup is lightly warmed from the blending activity, yet still raw...delivering a high antioxidant boost of Vitamins A and C, which aid in the prevention of cancer and heart disease."

The ingredients needed for the recipe are as follows:

- 3 cups raw butternut squash OR pumpkin (peeled and diced)

- 2 ½ cups distilled water

- 3 tart apples (peeled, quartered)

- 4 dates (soaked in 1 cup distilled water for 2-3 hrs, pitted & drained)

- 1 large red onion (peeled and quartered)

- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar (Bragg brand is raw)

- ¼ inch piece of ginger (peeled)

- 1 tsp of cinnamon

- 1 tsp sea salt

- ¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds (optional as garnish)

Place all of the ingredients (except the pumpkin seeds) into a powerful blender - Kauder recommends the Vitamix or Blendtec. Blend until everything is smooth. You can blend longer if you wish for the soup to be slightly warmed, but don't bring it to a boil, as Kauder said "beneficial, living enzymes will be lost." This recipe will make four servings and Kauder recommends using organic ingredients.

"This recipe allows for tremendous flexibility and is a great base recipe to be creative with," Kauder said. For example, she recommends, subbing in curry or Chinese five spice seasonings (ground cinnamon, clove, anise, fennel, and peppercorn powders) for the cinnamon. "It lends depth and complexity."

"Alternate three medium shallots for the onion for a more delicate onion flavor. Ditto changing champagne vinegar for apple cider vinegar," Kauder said. "I prefer the tartest apple of all, Granny Smith green apples, for the contrast of sweet, tangy, and savory, but use the apples you like the most. I list dates so that this recipe is authentically vegan, and you can use one teaspoon of honey if you prefer, instead."

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