Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut Squash Soup

with Coconut Milk and Curry Spice

Butternut squash is my favorite soup flavor in the Winter months. Living in the Midwest snow is more common than the everyday cold and nothing seems to warm me up more than a hot bowl of soup to fight off the unforgivable and ever present evil chill of Winter. I am not really a fan of cooking during the cold months, so I try to simplify my meals as much as possible. I tend to make things that are easy to reheat or can be used as a starter for another meal. Blame it on the fact that I am trapped in a white nightmare of despair with a wind chill in the negatives leaving my motivation level at a level two out of ten.

I love the creamy and velvety texture mixed with the spicy curry of this soup. It is a great blend of flavors that explode in your mouth.   I know some people are not a huge fan of cilantro, but I am and I love how it adds that extra oopmph to the dish. A great way to spice this up even more is by adding roasted chicken to the left over soup and serving it over rice. Consider it my version of a white girl curry without all the hassle of braising the chicken for hours (I usually cheat and get one of those pre-roasted chickens at the grocery store when I make this). I also love this soup because it is easy to make vegetarian. Some of my friends do not eat meat, ludicrous I know considering it is oh so delicious, but by substituting chicken stock with vegetable stock it is a sure way to not have them go all PETA on me.

Directions:

1. Peel and cube the sweet potatoes and butternut squash. Set aside
2. Chop the onion and garlic
3. Heat a large pot on medium heat on the stove. Add the garlic and onion. Sauté until the onions are tender,
   about 10 minutes
4. Add in the sweet potato and butternut squash. Mix with the onion and then add in the salt,
   pepper and all the spices
5. Allow to cook for about 5-7 minutes. Add in the chicken stock
6. Turn heat up to medium high and bring to boil stirring sparingly
7. Once the pot is boiling lower heat back to medium and allow to cook until the potatoes and
   butternut squash are tender
8. Remove pot from the stove in batches puree the soup until it is smooth in a blender. I usually have a second pot on hand that I transfer the pureed soup too.
9. Once the soup has been blended smooth, whisk in the coconut milk and set back on the stove on medium. Cook for another 15 minutes or until the soup is hot.
10. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves (optional) and serve