Saturday Soup Sessions

Happy New Year everyone! How are you holding down those resolutions? Did you crack already first week in? I can report that I am on track with what I set to do. And that was to set aside more time for myself. Yesterday I had one of those perfect mornings. You know the kind when everything just seems to be going your way. It started off with fresh hot coffee and jazz, followed by a hot bowl of hearty five grain cereal with diced dried mango and ginger. I got in my car to head to the Cedar Park Farms To Market and the first song to play on the radio was Jimmy Cliff's "I Can See Clearly Now". Alright I can dig this. The day was glorious. Bright sunny skies, a slight crisp chill in the air, a perfect day to make soup. So, I set out for fresh ingredients. I picked up some assorted mushrooms from Kitchen Pride


Oyster Mushrooms

 and a nice assortment of winter vegetables and herbs, including a nice variety of cilantro known as confetti from Johnson's Backyard Garden.

Kohlrabi, rainbow carrots & radishes from JGB



This year it's all about having more balance in my life. So in order to achieve that I have to plan more wisely. And part of that is meal planning. Zipping home from work, taking the dogs out, and then hitting the cutting board can be a bit much everyday of the week. Then mind you I am trying to find room to get a little exercise in the mix, (I signed up for yoga once more.) Hopefully I get more use out of my yoga pants than just wearing them as lounge ware. Being on point can be a bit of a task. Not so, if you plan ahead. What's that saying, something like if you fail to prepare, prepare to fail. Well, yeah that could be. So, I have decided to dedicate my Saturday mornings to making soup. I love the comfort of a freshly made soup or chowder. And what better way to spend my morning off than by making delicious, nutritious seasonal soups. First soup up is a spicy bisque of winter squash with Thai curry and coconut.

Butternut Squash

Thai Curry Winter Squash Soup

Ingredients:

2 cups of cooked winter squash ( hubbard, butternut or red kuri) roasted

1 medium parsnip, chopped

2 scallions, white and pale green part, chopped

1 Tbsp. coconut oil

1 quart vegetable stock

1 (13.5 ounce) can of coconut milk

1 Tbsp. Thai yellow curry paste

1/4 cup coconut flakes + a little more for garnish, lightly toasted

Fresh cilantro, for garnish

2 limes, one half for juice, the rest cut into wedges for garnish

In a soup pot melt coconut oil over medium heat. Add the parsnip and scallion, cook until scallions become slightly tender, about 4 minutes. Add the curry paste and continue to cook for another 4 minutes. Add in the stock and cooked squash. Cover and bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Allow to cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before blending.

Once the soup has been blended into a puree, add in the coconut milk and the juice of half a lime. Adjust seasoning if needed. Finish by stirring in the coconut flakes. Garnish soup with more coconut and chopped cilantro.



Winter Squash Soup with Yellow Curry & Coconut