It doesn't matter if you are a meat eater or a vegetarian, you will love this soup. It will warm you to the core, just like a cozy wool blanket, because it is thick and luxurious, smooth and delicious. Curry and ginger jazz it up a bit and give this soup a nice kick.

Soup is one of my all-time favourite appetizers, or main dish along with a salad. And this is a great one to knock the socks off your foodie friends, because it's so tasty. And with a little patience, it's also very easy to make.

The superstar ingredients in this soup are sweet potato and squash.

Sweet potatoes are all the rage in the grocery store right now because they are in season in November and December. They are wonderfully sweet veggies that keep well if stored in a cool dry place. When a meal has all four basic tastes -- salty, sweet, bitter and savoury -- you will be less likely to crave what you are missing and sweet potato is precisely that, sweet. More often then not, a meal is missing that "sweet" taste, which may lead to craving desserts and sabotaging your weight loss efforts.

Find out more about these superstar veggies after the jump.

In addition to their great taste, sweet potatoes are antioxidant-rich, as well as anti-inflammatory. They are a winner in the nutrition department because they are an excellent source of many different nutrients, including: vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), a very good source of vitamin C and manganese, and a good source of copper, dietary fibre, vitamin B6, potassium and iron. (Wow! That's impressive, isn't it?) The World's Healthiest Foods has a fantastic article on the nutritional benefits of sweet potatoes because they really are worthy of a whole post.

Acorn squash is another favourite of mine and it gives this soup a rich, beautiful yellow colour. It is an absolutely incredible source of vitamin A, just like sweet potatoes. There is no shortage of research on vitamin A and its importance for lung health and cancer prevention. (In fact, it is important for smokers as well, because there is a chemical in cigarette smoke -- benzo(a)pyrene -- that actually induces vitamin A deficiency.)

Sweet Potato Squash Soup

• 1 sweet potato
• 2 small acorn squash
• 6 tbsp organic butter
• 1½ quarts vegetable or chicken stock
• ¼ cup whole milk or unsweetened almond milk
• ¼ tsp fresh ground nutmeg
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1/3 tsp curry powder (If you are a little adventurous, you can use more)
• ¼ tsp ground ginger
• salt and pepper

Serves 6

Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut each squash in half and discard the seeds. Brush cut sides with a little melted butter or olive oil. Season squash with sea salt and black pepper. Arrange the squash, cut side down, on a rack placed in a baking tray and bake until tender (about 1 hour). Chop the sweet potato into chunks and bake until soft (about 40 min). In a medium stockpot, melt some organic butter, enough to coat the bottom of the pot. Over low heat, saute the onion with all spices listed above. Pour in stock and bring to a simmer. Cook about 20 minutes.

When squash and potato are soft, scoop out the insides of the squash and throw out the skin. Then puree the sweet potato and squash in a blender, adding milk as you are blending. Add the pureed mix to onions and hot stock. Use low heat until soup is heated through. Do not allow soup to simmer or boil. Season soup with salt and pepper and add more spices if necessary -- this is where you can punch it up to your liking with curry powder and more ginger.

Make it stylish: Garnish soup with pumpkin seeds or parsley.

JOYous Tip:
I personally eat the skins of my potatoes if they are organic because they are a source of chromium. Chromium is a mineral that aids in blood sugar metabolism and a source of fibre. I like to puree the potatoes with the skins because it also gives the soup some texture, but this is entirely up to you.

If you like ginger and/or curry, here are some more recipes:
Sesame Ginger Snappers
Carrot Ginger Soup
Curry Sweet Potato Soup

EnJOY!

Joy McCarthy, owner of Joyous Health, is a certified holistic nutritionist and health coach with a passion for inspiring people to eat well, live well and feel more joyous on a daily basis. Joy welcomes your questions or comments and although you may not receive a response, your submission will certainly be read and may be selected as a topic for a future column.