Moroccan Curry Butternut Squash Soup

To say I love winter squash would be an understatment.   I have a couple of other posts in my fairly new blog about it.  I just love it.  It is so sweet and flavorful.  I could eat it all day and in so many ways. 

A word about squash types.  My favorite is buttercup.  But it is only a tiny margin that seperates it from its cousins, buttercup, acorn and hubbard.  So for the purposes of this recipe, it can be any of them.  In this case I am using up the some of the last of the packets that I froze up in this post.  Which was hubbard, butternut and acorn.   So rather than differentiate (and cause squash is shorter to write than buttercup squash) I will be just saying squash throughout the post.. okay?

Well, I have been looking for a recipe for a squash soup.  I have a certain flavor in mind and have tried a couple store bought and both times it fell miles short.  I want something mildly sweet, spiced, and full of squash flavor.  I posted on a cooking blog I frequent and got a couple of possibles.  One will be an amalgamation of 2-3 different ones to try and get the flavor I want.  And then there is this one….. while it isnt what I was looking for, it is heavenly.  

This recipe is from Prevention RDs website.  I followed a link when I posted for the squash soup recipe.  I did do some mild adapting but not much.  She got it originally from Ginas Weight Watchers Recipes (which I bookmarked thank you very much!!).  Again it isnt the one I was looking for but it is going in The Box!!!  I tried it and yum!  I figured I would be eating it alone.   NOPE both Nik and Aaron love it.  So easy, took 20 minutes and so rich and flavorful.  And my fellow WW people…… a 1 cup serving is only 2 points.  I just about died when I saw that! 

Ingredients
2 cups already cooked mashed squash
1/2 medium onion
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp garam masala
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup light coconut milk
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp sea salt

Cast of characters

Start off by chopping your onion

Then the garlic and mincing them together fine.

In a dutch oven or 6-8 quart stock pot, add some Pam cooking spray and saute the onion and garlic of medium heat until translucent.

Measure out the spices.

And add them to the translucent veggies.  This will be kind of odd looking in the pan and very dry seeming but the heat will release the fragrance and flavors of the spices.

Add the chicken broth.
And then the squash.

And then the coconut  milk.   I had a half a can leftover so woooohooooo one less dirty dish!

Let simmer for about 10 minutes and then attack it with the stick wand to puree the onion and garlic.

Plate it up and take the can and the last few drops can make a pretty presentation.. or a dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream. 

This soup made the house smell so good.  And it was so warm and inviting on my tongue. I really was surprised by the flavor.  I cannot wait to make this again.   I am going to be making my other sweet squash soup in the next few days but I think this soup will be coming out of  The Box atleast one more time in the next couple weeks.  Curry is good food and so is squash. 

Happy Cooking!!

French Onion Soup

Many of my friends are Nesties.  For those of you who are scracthing your heads asking what a Nestie is, let me enlighten you.  The Nest is an offshoot of The Knot, a webcommunity where many women will go to plan their wedding.  They are tying The Knot…. get it.  It was a great site where I met some of my dearest friends.  The Nest is where you go once you are married, you know building The Nest.   Clever play on words there I know.  There I met Katie, Jodi, Beth, Britni, Jess and a slew of wonderful ladies.  They have brought many things in to my life.  One of those things is this soup.

This was posted last year on a board I frequent by Sue, a fellow NH Nestie.  I had only had french onion soup once before.  I loved it.  It was rich and silky and covered with cheese and crusty bread, seriously what was not to like.  I like this recipe so much i dont even need the cheese or bread on it.  In fact I didnt even have any in the house the last time I made this. 

Ingredients 
adapted from Sue-NH Nestie

3-4 large onions
1 tbsp butter
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp flour
4 cans beef broth or 8 cups homemade (I have made this with beef, chicken and veggie broth, all work)
2 tsp worchestershire sauce

Cast of Characters

First slice your onions, thick or thin, it depends on how big you want them.  I like medium, so that is how i do mine. 
 
Break them up a bit so they cook even.

Cook in the butter until slightly translucent.

Throw in your sugar.

Stir until incorporated and then add flour.

Cook for 3-4 minutes, it will get thick and look kind of gummy, dont worry it will cook out.  You need to let it cook for that long so that the flour cooks fully and will thicken it slightly.

Then add your stock or broth and worchestershire sauce. 

Let simmer for about 30 minutes, give it a taste.  It might need some salt or a bit of pepper per your tastes.  Serve either as is..

Or like this..  which I just made for the boys.. right now.. to be able to take this picture.. the wine is for me.. i am studying.. haha

For the cheesy way above, you can take croutons (easy but can change the flavor of your soup) or a dense bread that you toasted and lay it on the top of your soup.. lay the cheese over it and broil until the cheese is melty and browned.

Either way it is yummy..  though when I make the cheesy one for me.. I prefer swiss but the kids like colby mix.    This is a great thing to take to potlucks and I took it to the oncology department a couple times while Rob was getting chemo.  It was a hit.  It is a great to use crock pot to keep it hot and you can just bring some cheese and croutons for ease.   Thanks Sue for a great recipe.

Happy Cooking!!