Vegan Lime and Coconut Butternut Squash Soup

“You put the lime in the coconut…” and add butternut squash!

Coconut Lime and Butternut Squash Soup – truefoodlove

Spring may have officially arrived, but it snowed in Toronto today, so I’m pretty sure this is winter’s way of saying it’s sticking around for a little longer. If you’re craving a reminder of the tropics, this soup may just do the trick. It came together because of my love of squash soups and Thai food many months ago in the fall. The combination of coconut milk, lime and curry spices always brings me back to Thailand where I had travelled with a good friend of mine (Poutine and Parkas) a few years ago. It’s a nice departure from a typical squash soup since it encompasses sweet, spicy, tangy and nutty flavours. Roasting the squash first deepens the flavour and gives the soup a nice sweetness. And a bonus is that you can roast it in its half shell and scoop out the cooked flesh which is a heck of a lot easier (and safer!) than peeling and chopping the whole thing into cubes (which you could definitely do as well). But any recipe that requires less knife wielding is my friend. 🙂

Be well!

Mira

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash, cut in half and seeded
• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 L organic vegetable stock (with no added MSG/yeast extract – or use homemade)
• ¼ cup organic cilantro, chopped and divided
• 2 tsp finely chopped jalapeño (optional)
• 1 can organic coconut milk
• 1 lime, juiced
• salt & pepper, to taste
• Garnish: vegan sour cream, additional coconut milk, roasted squash seeds (see instructions below)

Make it:

1. Preheat oven to 400F (200C). Toss squash with 1 tbsp olive oil. Spread squash onto cookie sheet and roast in the oven for 20 minutes until slightly browned (if cubed). If halved, roast for 30 minutes until softened when pierced with a fork. Remove from oven and set aside. When cool scoop out flesh into a bowl and set aside.

1. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium-heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil, cumin and coriander and stir frequently for about 3 minutes.
2. Add onion and cook 5 minutes, until clear, then add broth.
3. Add roasted squash to pot along with half the cilantro and the jalapeño, if using.
4. Simmer gently for 20 minutes or until squash is soft. Stir in 1 cup of the coconut milk, as well as the lime juice.
5. Using an immersion blender, carefully puree until smooth. Season with salt & pepper. Garnish with coconut milk or vegan sour cream, and remaining cilantro.
6. Enjoy with some crackers and dip or as a starter dish.

Roasted Squash Seeds: Wash and dry the seeds well to remove any stringy bits. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with sea salt and pepper (or Herbamare) and roast in an oven (along with the squash to save energy) for about 20 minutes until lightly brown.