Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup with Yogurt “Cream”
- 2 Tb. olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 butternut squash, halved and seeded
- 3-4 carrots, chopped
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 1/4 tsp. cumin
- 3/4 tsp. turmeric
- 3/4 tsp. coriander
- 5-8 cups stock or water, whatever will just cover all the vegetables
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup plain, low fat yogurt
- 1 Tb. water
- salt to taste
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- a good squeeze of fresh lime juice to taste
For simplicity’s sake (lazy cook that I am) I roast the squash in the oven at 400 for about 30 minutes or until a fork slides easily into the flesh. Put it cut side up in a roasting pan in an inch of water. Then it is simply a matter of just scraping the squash out when it’s soft. Doing this early in the day or even the night before will make things even easier. If you prefer, you can peel and chop–or get the pre-cut kind at the market, and cook with the carrots in the next step.
Saute onion in olive oil until soft, maybe 5 minutes or so. Add carrots and saute for 5 more minutes. Add spices and saute for yet another 5 minutes.
Add water/stock and bring to boil. If using water, I’ll often throw in a bouillon cube. Reduce heat and add roasted squash at this time. Simmer until vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool until you can safely blend soup.
Puree until desired texture is achieved. For me, that means slightly chunky. Transfer to a pan and thin to desired consistency with additional water if needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Stir in cilantro and lime juice.
For yogurt “cream” whisk water into yogurt and season with salt. Add some finely minced jalapeno for added flavor if you like. To serve, ladle into bowls and drizzle with yogurt. Garnish with more cilantro.
Tonight’s Split Pea Soup
- carrots, diced
- celery, diced
- onion, diced
- olive oil
- vegetable or chicken broth, 4 cups or more if you like thinner soup
- tomatoes, chopped
- beet greens (or some other type of leafy green), chopped
- ham, diced
- salt to taste
- fresh ground pepper
- 1 cup split peas
I realize there are no measurements for anything except the split peas and broth. That’s why it’s improvisational. I used everything on the plate above with the exception of the biggest tomato. Use what you have. You won’t need a lot.
Saute the first three ingredients in oil for about 10 minutes.
Add split peas and water or broth, tomatoes and ham.
Bring to boil. Then cover and simmer on low for the first half hour.
Uncover and cook until the peas are creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss in chopped greens in the last half hour of cooking. If you think you might get resistance to greens in the soup, chop it smaller so it’s less noticeable. It works at my house…
Table Talk 