Thursday, February 16, 2006

Pureed Yam and Squash Soup

I LOVE soup! Love to eat it - love to make it. Simple and convenient, and is the perfect "what to do for dinner... grab some leftover soup from the freezer" meal!

This Pureed Curried Squash and Yam Soup is a favorite of mine and can be found in The Everyday Vegan. I usually pair this soup with a whole grain, this time with wild rice and brown basmati rice as well as a simple spinach salad. I love this soup for a few reasons...

- It's easy! Some squash soups involve peeling and cutting the squash from raw. This is tough, and can be dangerous (ouch!). I roast the yams and squash whole, which not only intensifies their flavors, but also makes for easy cooking. After peeling the squash and yams (this part is a tad messy), and removing the seeds, you add these roasted veg to the sauteed ingredients, then blend with water and stock, and presto, you have soup!I use my immersion blender, it's by far the easiest way to puree soup. It's an indispensable tool in my kitchen... get one if you don't have one already!

- The seasonings are not overpowering. The curry is subtle, and is combined with fresh ginger, garlic, coriander and a touch of cinnamon. You can of course adjust the seasonings if you like, with more curry spice or more ginger.

- Organic butternut squash and yams are super nutritious, and during the fall/winter you can get organic squash for a decent price.

- It makes a big ol' batch and freezes very well for another night!

Serving Tip: To serve your soup and whole grains in half-moons as pictured, first spoon the grain in your bowl and push it over to one side filling half the bowl. Then, ladle in your soup as high as your grain, and drizzle with some good extra virgin olive oil if you like!

11 comments:

Eat Peace Please said...

This looks good and I love how you did the half-moon stuff. This looks like a great meal for the fall (or other cold days). Thanks for sharing this, and I think the immersion blender is next on my list!

Julie said...

I am anxious to try this soup. I've already tried the Earthy Lentil Soup and it was great! How do you usually defrost your soup? (I have some of the lentil soup in the freezer.)

How much did your immersion blender cost?

Dreena said...

Leslie, you MUST get an immersion blender! They are really the best, esp for soups and if you want to make a single smoothie.

Thanks, Julie! If I remember, I take the container out early in the day. Usually that's not the case, though, and so I take the frozen container out, and place it in sink surrounded by very hot water. If you replace the hot water once or twice it will help speed up the thawing. Then, it is loosened enough to transfer to a pot and while there may still be a large frozen chunk of soup, a good portion will be thawed and help to speed the reheating! My immersion blender is a blender/mini-chopper combo that usually runs about $70-$90 CDN, but I think I got ours through a points catalogue we had for a retailer. You can usually hit a sale and pick one up a little cheaper. I find the mini-chopper attachment handy, however if you want to spend less, you can go for a basic immersion blender that is about $20-$25. I will put a link in my post for you to check out with amazon.

SDGvegan said...

Mmmm yams and squash are my 7 year old's two favorite foods.

Harmonia said...

I love soup, too! I can't wait to try more! I'm lazy when it comes to slow cookers and enjoy stirring on stove top instead! :)

PS: See comments in last entry Re: the book.

~go veg said...

This looks yummy.

Here is my South African butternut soup recipe (if you are interested):
http://veganruback.blogspot.com/2005/10/butternut-squash-coming-out-of-my-ears.html

Dreena said...

Thanks, Patty, I'll check it out! I love the recent cow cartoon on your blog, btw... very funny!!

Harmonia said...

Does Patty have both of your books? She helped me so very much and still is helping me with the process.

Feel free to choose another winner...sorry about that...can't wait to read the recipes when I get my order!!!

jess (of Get Sconed!) said...

Oh, I have to check this recipe out..I love blended soups.

Anonymous said...

Very tasty soups! Thank you!

Cook said...

I cut the squash in half and scoop the seed, then roast it. This way you just scoop the flesh of the squash out with a big spoon instead of peeling. Love your blog!