We've had a couple of mild winters here in the DC area, with nary more than a skiff of snow here or there. Finally it's March and we were all geared up for springtime and it is snowing harder than it has in a long time. My kids are quite excited about the sledding and snowman potential, while I was most excited to be able to sleep past 5:00am this morning!
This soup recipe is one of those that's perfect for a day like today. It's got an Asian-esque flavor that my family adores (even my picky ones) and the only reason why I haven't published it before is that we needed to keep tweaking it until we got the right texture. I have a couple of kids who don't like smooth soups and another couple (including me) who don't like the texture of cooked squash. We finally settled on a 2/3 pureed to 1/3 chunky ratio. It's perfect for everyone, especially if you're trying to eat healthier, but short on time. Using the precubed squash from the produce section, this comes together with very little prepwork and with squash as the base and peanuts for protein, it's a home run healthwise too!
posted by Lara.
Ingredients:
1 Tbs. peanut oil
4 cups cubed peeled butternut squash (look for it prepeeled and cubed in the produce section)
1 onion, chopped
2 Tbs. minced garlic (about 6 cloves)
¼ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground cumin
¼ tsp. ground coriander
3 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
¾ cup peanut butter
2 Tbs. tomato paste
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper(or to taste)
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Directions:
In a large sauce pan over medium high heat, heat peanut oil. When hot, add squash, onion, garlic, salt, cumin, and coriander.
Sauté for 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Then add broth, peanut butter, tomato paste, and crushed red pepper, stirring well to combine.
Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until the squash is soft (about 10 minutes).
Blend about 2/3 soup in blender (in small batches), until chunks are gone.
Return soup to pot, then sprinkle with cilantro and serve hot with fresh homemade bread (or over pasta).
Enjoy!
This soup recipe is one of those that's perfect for a day like today. It's got an Asian-esque flavor that my family adores (even my picky ones) and the only reason why I haven't published it before is that we needed to keep tweaking it until we got the right texture. I have a couple of kids who don't like smooth soups and another couple (including me) who don't like the texture of cooked squash. We finally settled on a 2/3 pureed to 1/3 chunky ratio. It's perfect for everyone, especially if you're trying to eat healthier, but short on time. Using the precubed squash from the produce section, this comes together with very little prepwork and with squash as the base and peanuts for protein, it's a home run healthwise too!
Click here for printable recipe.
posted by Lara.
Ingredients:
1 Tbs. peanut oil
4 cups cubed peeled butternut squash (look for it prepeeled and cubed in the produce section)
1 onion, chopped
2 Tbs. minced garlic (about 6 cloves)
¼ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground cumin
¼ tsp. ground coriander
3 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
¾ cup peanut butter
2 Tbs. tomato paste
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper(or to taste)
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Directions:
In a large sauce pan over medium high heat, heat peanut oil. When hot, add squash, onion, garlic, salt, cumin, and coriander.
Sauté for 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Then add broth, peanut butter, tomato paste, and crushed red pepper, stirring well to combine.
Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until the squash is soft (about 10 minutes).
Blend about 2/3 soup in blender (in small batches), until chunks are gone.
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| This picture is shown before blending. |
Return soup to pot, then sprinkle with cilantro and serve hot with fresh homemade bread (or over pasta).
Enjoy!
Recipe adapted slightly from 100 Days of Real Food.
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