fresh and spicy squash soup.

My mom's family, the "Vlaar's", are a rowdy bunch. We always get together for a big family feast every holiday, and while there may only be 20 or so of us, it generally sounds like a small army. I'm sure many of you can relate. After years of thanksgiving dinners, Christmas dinners, Easter dinners, birthday dinners...we've started to develop a few solid traditions. Predictable is such a negative word...I prefer reliable. We can always rely on Uncle Doug to get a rousing game of Bananagrams started. We can always count on the boys sneaking off to the basement or some back room to watch football while the girls prefer to chat or go for a walk. We can always rely on Uncle Arnie to be the last one to show up (unless Joe and I are driving separate cars...because then he'll always win). And of course, we can always count on an amazing meal.

The meal itself, over the years, has also started to become somewhat reliable. Trust me...I'm not complaining! New recipes seem to need the official "Vlaar seal of approval" to make it to the next holiday, and while some have sadly failed (Uncle Arnie's almond mashed potatoes circa 1999), others have passed with flying colours. Among the current repertoire is of course "Seven-Layer Salad", "Aunt Tina's Cheesecake", the infamous "Broccoli Bake", and this "Spicy Squash Soup". It's the perfect combination of flavour, warmth and spice, and it makes the perfect addition to any holiday meal. If you're not a fan of anything too spicy, I'd definitely cut back on the ginger and the red pepper flakes. Enjoy!


Fresh and Spicy Squash Soup

- (2) tbsp vegetable oil
- (2) onions, chopped
- (2) cloves of garlic, chopped
- (1) stalk of celery, chopped
- (1/4) cup of minced ginger root
- (1/4) cup of chopped fresh cilantro
- (2) tsp ground coriander
- (1) tsp ground cumin
- (1/2) tsp each salt and pepper
- (1/4) tsp grated lemon rind
- (1/4) tsp turmeric
- (1/4) tsp red pepper flakes
- (8) cups of peeled butternut squash, cubed
- (1) tomato, chopped
- (4) cups of chicken or vegetable broth
- (1) can of coconut milk
- (1/4) cup of fresh cilantro leaves


In a large, heavy pan or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, celery, ginger root, fresh cilantro, ground coriander, cumin, salt and pepper, lemon rind, turmeric and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring often, for 5 to 8 minutes, or until aromatic and onions are softened.

Stir in squash and tomato. Pour in broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until squash is tender. 

 In blender or food processor, puree soup in batches until smooth. 

Return to pan and heat until steaming. Stir in coconut milk and heat through. Serve garnished with fresh cilantro. Note...I ran out of fresh cilantro half way through...oops!!!

coconut red lentil soup.

I must explain to all of you my lack of blogging recently. It isn't that I've been too lazy, although once you hear the real reason you may beg to differ. It isn't that I haven't been cooking. Trust me...we've been eating. And it definitely isn't due to a lack of new recipes to share. Since recently joining the addictive habit of Pinterest, my camera is overloaded with new recipes we've been trying. Sidebar...I must apologize to all of you who are "following" my posts on Pinterest, as my "repins" have all been of the foodie persuasion.

The real reason for my recent absence has been due to a little technical glitch with my laptop. I have recently lost all function of my letter "e", and for those of you who think this may not be a big deal...stop and consider the number of times I have had to "copy" and "paste" just to write this paragraph! Super frustrating! And it's a "good" day when it's just my letter "e" that decides not to work. Some particularly frustrating days, my "e" along with my "d", my "s" and some days even my "c" decide not to work! Luckily this is a "good" day. My husband is convinced this problem must be some sort of virus I picked up on Pinterest, but I'm not fully convinced. I unfortunately think it has more to do with the honey that may have dripped on my computer while I was blogging about granola bars...oh the hazards of the job :)

So while I generally like to "reword" a recipe I find, this one is copied directly from 101 Cookbooks...just for my sanity. Feel free to follow the original recipe from Heidi here.   

Since it's February, and since the weather in Montreal continues to dip below -20 degrees C, I will continue to make soup. And this recipe is a keeper! So tasty and hearty and according to my mom..."the kind of soup that really sticks to your ribs". For the past two weeks I've made a big pot of it on Sunday afternoon, and then enjoy it in my lunch at work for the rest of the week. For those of you who may be scared off by the raisins or the cilantro, I think it would still be great without them...maybe even with a dollop of peanut butter or sour cream on top! Don't judge...the added fat just seems to add a certain "je ne sais quoi"!


Coconut Red Lentil Soup

- (1) cup of yellow split peas
- (1) cup of red split lentils
- (7) cups of water
- (1) medium carrot, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- (2) tablespoons of fresh peeled and minced ginger
- (2) tablespoons of curry powder
- (2) tablespoons of butter
- (8) green onions, thinly sliced
- (1/3) cup of golden raisins
- (1/3) cup (80 mL)of tomato paste
- (1) 14-ounce can of coconut milk
- (2) teaspoons of salt
- one small handful of cilantro, chopped

Give the split peas and lentils a good rinse - until they no longer put off murky water. 

Place them in an extra-large soup pot, cover with the water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and add the carrot and 1/4 of the ginger. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the split peas are soft.

In the meantime, in a small dry skillet or saucepan over low heat, toast the curry powder until it is quite fragrant. Be careful though, you don't want to burn the curry powder, just toast it. Set aside. 

Place the butter in a pan over medium heat, add half of the green onions, the remaining ginger, and raisins. Saute for two minutes stirring constantly, then add the tomato paste and saute for another minute or two more.

Add the toasted curry powder to the tomato paste mixture, mix well, and then add this to the simmering soup along with the coconut milk and salt.

Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or so. The texture should thicken up, but you can play around with the consistency if you like by adding more water for a thinner soup or simmer longer for a thicker consistency.

Feel free to eat this soup on it's own, sprinkled with cilantro and the remaining green onions, or add on top of your favourite grain; rice, barley, farro, whatever!

Enjoy!