Curried Coconut Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup

I love to make soups in the Winter.  The aroma of garlic and onions fills the kitchen with the promise of homemade with love goodness!  I love the rich golden color and the silky texture.  And there are so many lovely local squashes in our local produce markets at this time of year that I want to sample them all.

In getting ready to start a 30 Day Paleo Challenge on January 1st I decided to make up a lovely spicy, nutritious soup, to have on hand for lunches and snacks.  I know that preparing for this challenge is going to be very important to my success on it. 

Normally I like to put a spoonful of fat free yogurt on my vegetable soups when I serve them... stirring the yogurt into the hot soup makes it creamy and rich.  But there is no dairy on the Paleo plan so I decided to use some coconut milk in this soup to take the place of the yogurt (I used a light version - after all I am still a Weight Watcher) and followed that theme by using coconut oil instead of the olive olive I would usually use, too. 

And I have to say, the coconut oil smells wonderful while it cooks.  Mouthwatering, actually!  I will be using it a lot more often.

I prefer to use my homemade turkey stock in recipes like this, but if you don't have turkey or chicken stock on hand, use a couple of bullion cubes and 4 cups of water.  It really does result in a richer flavor than water alone... or use vegetable bullion if you want a vegan soup.



Curried Coconut Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup
Makes 6 servings of 1-1/2 cups each.

• 1 Tbs coconut oil/butter
• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped (8 ounces)
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and minced
• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (26 ounces)
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 4 cups turkey stock
• 1 Tbs ground cumin
• 1/2 cup canned light coconut milk
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Place the coconut oil/butter in a large stock pot over MEDIUM heat.
2. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic and saute till translucent, about 6 or 7  minutes.
3. Add the butternut squash and the carrot pieces and cook another 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the ground cumin to coat the veggies.
5. Add the stock to the pot, cover with a lid and bring to a boil.
6. Lower the heat and leave the soup to simmer for 40 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 15 minutes
8. Purree the soup with your immersion blender or remove to blender jar in batches to purree.
9. Stir in coconut milk and gently reheat before serving.
10. Season with salt and pepper at the table.

At first I wasn't sure if I had added enough cumin to my soup because it didn't seem to be quite as spicy as I would have liked.  But, I resisted adding more, and I placed the cooled soup in 6 different single serving containers and then refrigerated them.  The next day, I heated up 2 servings for The Captain and I to enjoy for lunch, and I noticed that the soup tasted much spicier than it had the day before... guess the cumin just needed a bit of time to do its magic!

It was wonderful!  The rest of the leftovers have been moved to the freezer for now, but it won't be long before they are used up and I will be making another batch!

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 3.
Calories 119 ; Protein 2g; Carbohydrate 22g; Fat 4g; Fibre 4g.

Add the cumin to the sauteed veggies...

 

and stir to coat them and let it cook a bit before adding the broth.

 

Cover and bring to boil, then let simmer for about 40 minutes.

 

Gently reheat before serving.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

 

Printable Recipe

 

 

Are you a homemade soup fan?  What is your favorite kind?

 

Do you like coconut oil?



Beanless Paleo Beef Chili

I love chili. I love the spicy tomato sauce, and I love all of the different vegetables.... and I love the smell of it simmering away on the stove! Iespecially love to have it it stored in my freezer for quick lunches or dinners on busy days, or days when just don't feel like cooking at all. It is comfort food at its best.

I have made many different kinds of chili over the years... with ground beef, or small chunks of a cut of beef called 'chuck steak' or even ground turkey. I have made vegetarian versions with soy crumbles and lots of different varieties of beans. I have made it with so many different kinds of vegetables... and every time it is a bit different, but always delicious!

But this was the first time I was faced with the task of making chili WITHOUT any beans in it.

I am following a legume-free food challenge right now. It is called Whole30 and, in a nutshell, it is the Paleo Food Plan in its purest and most basic form.

So I made up a really thick, spicy chili, with lots of vegetables and some extra lean ground beef... and the first night we had it I had mine spooned over a baked sweet potato... you know those lovely dark orange Beauregard Sweet Potatoes that we mistakenly love to call yams? The Captain enjoyed his over a baked Russet Potato and declared it 'perfect'... which means that it wasn't too hot and spicy, so if you like yours very peppery, you may want to add more spice to the mixture!

For lunch the next day, I had a serving over baked spaghetti squash, and of course it was even better because the spices had had a chance to work longer... chilis and stews and soups always seem to be better the day AFTER you make them, don't you think?

Oh, and if you want beans, just add a can or two of your favorite!



Beanless Paleo Beef Chili
Makes 11 servings of approximately 1 cup each.

• 1 lb. extra lean ground beef
• 1 large onion (10 oz.)
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and minced
• 4 medium carrots, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 1 large green pepper, cut into chunks
• 1 large yellow pepper, cut into chunks
• 2 cans diced tomatoes (28 oz. each)
• 1 can tomato paste (5.5 oz.)
• 1-1/2 Tbs chili pepper powder
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt

1. Place the ground beef into a large saucepan or stock pot, over MEDIUM heat, and cook it, stirring occasionally to break up any clumps, until it is browned, about 10 or 15 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and the oinions and cook till translucent, about 10 minutes more.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients, cover, and simmer about 45 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and serve. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
5. Leftovers can be stored in fridge a few days, or frozen.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 4.
Calories 157; Protein 11g, Carbohydrate 18g; Fat 4g, Fibre 4g.

 

Printable Recipe



The Liebster Award

A few weeks ago I was nominated for the Liebter Award by Karey at Nutty About Health and I have been holding off writing my blog post about it till now... wanted to make it part of my year end wrap up.

I am really happy to have received this award from Karey, whom I became familiar with this past Fall during Anna Wootton's  #healthybreakfastchallenge Twitter campaign.  You may be familiar with Anna's blog,  The Guiltless Life,  too.

So what is the Liebster Award?

Well, it’s a nice, friendly way for bloggers to recognize each other and reach out and get to know each other better, along with our readers.

Liebster is a German word, which usually means “dearest”, or “beloved,” so I’m feeling pretty special as well as loved right about now!

This award comes along with a few rules:

1. Write 11 random facts about yourself.
2. Answer the 11 questions by the person who nominated you.
3. Create 11 new questions.
4. Nominate 11 bloggers and mention them in your post.
5. Thank the person that nominated you and tell the people you’ve nominated.

I always have trouble coming up with new things to reveal about myself, without boring everyone to tears.... here goes:

1. I am a prairie girl at heart.  Even though we live on the ocean now, I was raised in Calgary and when we drive East through Rocky Mountains, and I can see big blue sky and open fields, I always let out a big sigh, and feel very elated and free. Wide open spaces really appeal to me.
2. I am dog crazy.  I will stop you on the street and ask to pet your dog. So, if you see me coming, you may want to cross the street!
3. I love to cook.  And I love to eat what I cook!
4. I love to travel and explore new places.  I am game for just about anything but caves.
5. I am afraid of bats. I don't know why, they appear very odd looking to me and I am sorry about it, but I really dislike them.
6. My very favorite color is aqua... reminds me of the sea, and the sky and the coldest ice you can find. 
7. I appear to have a short attention span and to be quite fickle... it is just that I want to experience everything there is so I feel there is no time to be wasted!
8. I was a Daddy's girl.
9. My favorite flowers have always been daisies and violets.
10. I  love silence. When I am alone I never turn on the radio, or TV or the stereo. I never wear earbuds when I run. I don't chatter a lot.
11. I think sleep is a necessary waste of  my time!

Ok, now for the questions Karey asked:

1. If you had to choose one, chocolate or PB? Chocolate
2. What is your biggest accomplishment? Running a half marathon in May of 2012
3. What is one thing that you’re very afraid of? Caves
4. Coffee or tea? Both
5. Do you blog on a Mac or PC? PC
6. Favorite TV show? Revenge/Big Bang Theory
7. Dogs, cats, or neither? Dogs, cats, all animals (but bats)
8. What is your favorite brand of nut butter? Marinatha Almond Butter
9. Best place you’ve ever visited? Disney World
10. What’s your favorite restaurant? Shogun (Japanese)
11. Favorite type of workout? Running

And here are my 11 questions:

1. What is your favorite name for a girl?  boy?
2. What is your favorite dish to prepare for company?
3. Where did you grow up?
4. Favorite childhood food?
5. Favorite logo?
6. Best toy you ever had?
7. Wine, yay or nay?
8. What was the first vehicle you ever drove?
9. Bike or walk?
10. Favorite music genre?
11. First chilhood memory?

And just to be a bit of a rebel, instead of naming my 11 Liebster Award nominees, I am hoping that when YOU read this post, you will accept this Liebter Award from me, answer my 11 questions, and carry on the tradition of the award on your blog, too.

Thanks so much to Karey for having me take part... it was fun!