THE BEST CURRIED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

Here's a link to the original that post I shared over at the Daily HIIT.

I love The New Moosewood Cookbook, although I am not vegetarian.  It has some amazing recipes, & this soup is derived from one of them.  There are many butternut squash soup recipes (I already have another on my blog), but what makes this one different is the technique.  First, you roast the squash, which gives it a depth of flavor lacking in steamed squash.  Second, the recipe doesn't call for curry powder.  Onion & garlic are sautéed with a combination of spices, which gives you control over your curry flavor.  Last, you have the option of having a smooth, pureed soup or retain texture by not pureeing the onion mixture at the end.   This has become my go-to curried butternut squash soup recipe.   It is vegetarian, exploding with beta-carotene, delicious, & of course, healthy.  If you try it, let me know what you think!

Roasted Turkey Vegetable Noodle Soup

When I am sick, no food is more appealing to me than hot, homemade soup.  Tonight I made a large batch of roasted turkey soup with noodles & vegetables.  I used the vegetables I had, but like most soups, you can use what you prefer or what you have on hand rather than run out to the store for missing ingredients.  If made without the noodles, this soup will freeze well (the noodles will be mushy if frozen then defrosted).  For the turkey, I used this recipe which I previously posted.

TURKEY, VEGETABLE, & RICE SOUP

Tonight my fridge was full of vegetables & turkey one night away from spoiling, so I made a simple soup.  I didn’t take as many pictures as usual, because I didn’t plan on posting the recipe.  It came out pretty good, so I decided to share it.

Potato Fennel Soup With Caramelized Onions

I rarely follow a recipe exactly as written, but today I am glad that I did (okay, my version is 2% different).  I made potato-fennel soup from The Moosewood Cookbook, & it is amazing!  This filling soup is easy, tastes rich, & can be made without any dairy products if you prefer. 

NAVY BEAN SOUP (VEGETARIAN)

Today was cold & rainy: a perfect day for cooking!  I made roasted beet salad, then decided to make navy bean soup using the beet greens.  I have never had navy bean soup with ham in it, so I make a vegetarian version.  If you prefer to use ham hocks, simply add them to this recipe.  If not, enjoy my meat-free version.  

CREAM-LESS CREAM OF BROCCOLI SOUP

A few months ago I made cream of broccoli soup using sweet potato as a base rather than cream or milk after coming across a recipe on dadamo.com.  I really liked the soup, even though it tasted different than the traditional version.  Substitute regular potatoes or butternut squash  if you do not like sweet potato.  Cayenne pepper is especially good with slightly sweet things like sweet potatoes, but season the soup however you like!  This recipe serves as a base for other cream of vegetable soups as well. 

ZUZANA'S CARROT GINGER SAUCE (or soup) WITH TURKEY, B+ modified

I wish I could say this was a Jessica original, but that would be a lie.  It is a modification of one of the tastiest meals I've ever had: Zuzana's chicken in ginger carrot sauce.  I first made this meal before beginning to eat per my blood type.  Four of the original recipe's ingredients (chicken, chicken broth, coconut milk, & cinnamon) are foods that I am supposed to avoid, so this has been on my 'to modify" list.  Organic carrots were a STEAL at the grocery store this week, so last night I did a makeover on Zuzana's awesome recipe.

This sauce can easily be a soup if you prefer; just add more liquid.

EATING HEALTHY WHEN YOU'RE BROKE & PRESSED FOR TIME

Tonight I went to Bodyrock.tv to log my workout scores for today, & instead have ended up writing a new post.  The first thing I read in the recent comments was a question I used to have to answer for myself all the time:  how do you eat healthy when time & money are scarce?  

HAVING A COLD REALLY SUCKS. BUTTERNUT SQUASH DOES NOT.

What I'm about to discuss is not high on the importance scale, but I wonder how many other people have this happen to them. 

Last week I acknowledged that I had not been sick in over a year.  A few days later, I caught a cold.  I don't believe that I jinxed myself, but started thinking about how nice a cold-free year-plus was.  I firmly believe that exercise & diet are what have kept me physically & mentally healthy during a very stressful year.  I wasn't eating as healthy as usual the week before I got sick...I like to think that's why I fell victim to a virus.  Does anyone else notice that when they are stressed & not taking care of themself they get sick?  There are plenty of studies linking physical activity & a healthy diet to immune function, but I like to hear personal stories.  

Here's what I made to make myself feel better:  

CURRIED ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

INGREDIENTS

(I used left over roasted balsamic butternut squash & onion from this recipe & a left over baked sweet potato.)
1/2	butternut squash, peeled & cubed
1/2	onion, diced
1-2	Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp	Balsamic vinegar
1	sweet potato, diced (optional)
2 tsp	dried thyme or 1 Tbsp fresh
~2.5 cups	water or broth (adjust based on your preferred soup thickness)
1 Tbsp	curry powder
Pinch	salt
To taste	cayenne pepper
To taste	nutmeg
1/4 cup	Milk (optional)

PREPARATION (skip to 4 if you have cooked squash)

1.       Preheat the oven to 375 degrees (F)

2.      Toss the butternut squash, sweet potato, & onion with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, thyme, & a pinch of salt.

3.     Roast on a baking sheet in the oven for 20-30 min, turning every 5-10 minutes.

4.     Puree the cooked vegetables with water/broth, adjusting the quantity based on your preferred thickness.  Be careful if you are pureeing the vegetables while they are hot.  Work in batches if you have a small food processor.  

5.     Transfer to a saucepan to warm the soup.  Season with cayenne pepper, curry powder, nutmeg, & salt to taste.  If the texture isn't a smooth as you would like, blend some more (I use an immersion blender).  Add a little milk if you wish (I didn't measure, but I think I added about 1/4cup); it isn't necessary, but I like it. 

This soup will freeze well.  I eat it plain, but it's good with the usual soup partners: salad, bread, sandwiches....enjoy!  

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
Cream-less Cream of Broccoli Soup
Potato Leek Soup
Roasted Turkey Breast with Butternut Squash

Following Eat Right For Your Type?  Click here to jump to Dr. D'Adamo's Typebase Index to see how the ingredients in this recipe work for you.
Do you want to learn more about the Blood Type Diet?  See the links I have posted in the left column of this site under the heading "Learn More About the Blood Type Diet."

Pin It

TURKEY CHILI

Tomorrow I am hosting a baby shower.  Thinking that it would be a cool January day, I decided to make turkey chili.  It is supposed to be in the mid 70's tomorrow, but I already bought my ingredients & don't want to change my menu.  I found a great recipe on Epicurious that I modified for the criteria of my blood type guidelines (Eat Right For Your Type).  This batch came out a little spicy, but that's what I was going for.  Use fewer chilies if you don't like a spicy chili.  The mashed beans & grated sweet potato added texture & thickness to what would have otherwise been a thin chili.  The original recipe was for all white beans.  I used a mix of white & red to add color.   I used red & green bell peppers for the same reason.  Below is the result of my experiment.  The next time I make this, I may add some pureed carrots.

INGREDIENTS (to serve 12-16 people; will fill a large stockpot)

POTATO LEEK SOUP (B+ FRIENDLY)

Blood Type Diet-Modified (B+) Potato Leek Soup (Modified from an Epicurious recipe)