Roasted Butternut Squash and Pear Soup

I've been road testing some new recipes keeping the holidays in mind. I've made this soup a couple of times now and my family gives it a big thumbs up. I fortified this soup with pureed quinoa. I began doing this over the summer when I was trying to encourage my dad to eat. He wouldn't eat any meat, he'd decided that he would choke on the meat so I had to find a protein alternative. I take 3 cups of cooked quinoa, place it in a blender with about a cup of liquid(water or stock) and puree it until smooth. Then I add it to the soup as it cooks. I discovered that the quinoa acted as thickener as well. It worked so well, I've begun to add it to most of my soups especially the veggie variety.

Serves 6-8

2 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
(If you don't want to hassle with that, buy 3 large containers of diced butternut squash. I find mine in the refrigerated produce section)
1 large onion, cut in half and peeled
4 pears peeled,core removed and halved
2 large shallots, halved and peeled
6 cups chicken stock
1tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup heavy cream
olive oil
toasted pecans and crumbled gorganzola cheese for garnish

Preheat the oven to 425. Place the squash pieces in a large bowl, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread out on a baking sheet that is lined with foil or a silpat. Place the pear halves, onions and shallots in the bowl. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on a second baking sheet that has been lined with foil or a silpat. Bake for 35-45 minutes until all are tender and browned. Meanwhile cook quinoa according to the package. Place cooked quinoa into a blender with the water and puree until smooth. Put all the roasted items into a 5 quart stock pot. Pour the stock over all, dried thyyme, heavy cream and add the pureed quinoa. Adjust the seasoning if desired. Cook until heated through, stirring often. Pour into serving bowls, garnish with pecans and gorgonzola if desired. ServeS