Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut squash is roasted, cooked in ginger infused coconut milk and seasoned with cumin, coriander, cinnamon and red pepper. Try topping this hearty soup with our Spicy Peanut Chutney for a little extra punch. This recipe comes to us from Karen of Sprouts in the Hood.

Serves 6

• 1 butternut squash*
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup light coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons ginger, finely grated
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander seed
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground hot pepper
• spicy peanut chutney**, for garnish

*To roast the butternut squash, preheat an oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash in half and place cut side down on a large baking sheet. Roast for 45-55 minutes, or until the squash can be easily scooped out of its skin and tender when pricked with a fork. Scoop out the seeds and discard. Scoop out the flesh of the squash and set aside.

**optional

Place the roasted, seeded butternut squash flesh into a large soup pot. Add the water, light coconut milk and grated ginger to the pot and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to simmer.

While the butternut squash coconut milk mixture is simmering, place the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the red bell pepper, onion and garlic. Sauté for 3-5 minutes, or until the veggies soften and become fragrant. Add the sautéed veggies to the soup pot.

Season the soup with ground cumin, coriander, cinnamon, hot pepper and salt. Simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour.

Place the soup in a blender or food processor and liquefy. Garnish with peanut chutney, if using, and enjoy.