Serves 8-10 / Roasting vegetables concentrates their flavors, imparting richness without the addition of cream. Prep tip: This luscious soup can be made two days in advance and reheated.

2 pounds sweet apples (such as Fuji), peeled, cored, and quartered
1 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
1½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch dice
1 large yellow onion, cut into 6 pieces, layers pulled apart
3 tablespoons vegetable oil (not olive oil)
1 teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
10 large sage leaves, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (stripped from stems)
8 cups plain rice milk

1. Preheat oven to 450°. In a large mixing bowl, toss together apples, parsnips, sweet potatoes, onion, oil, salt, and pepper. Arrange evenly in an 11×17-inch pan with an edge. Place in lower third of oven and roast for about 45 minutes, stirring vegetables and rotating pan every 15 minutes. When everything is fork-tender and nicely browned (some may be more tender than others; not to worry), remove from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.
2. Working in batches, purée apple-vegetable mixture, sage, and thyme in a blender or food processor, adding enough rice milk to allow soup to move freely. Process each batch for 2-3 minutes to ensure a perfectly smooth texture.
3. Pour soup into a medium saucepan. Stir in any remaining rice milk. Simmer gently for 15 minutes to infuse flavors.

PER SERVING: 361 cal, 20% fat cal, 8g fat, 1g sat fat, 0mg chol, 4g protein, 71g carb, 8g fiber, 409mg sodium

Laurie Gauguin, a professional chef since 1996, cooks for private clients in the San Francisco area and blogs at ladleandwhisk.wordpress.com.

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