October is upon us and I am so glad to see the leaves changing, the air cooling down, and all the wonderful seasonal produce popping up everywhere. Autumn is one of my favorite times of year because of all the wonderful food that I just can’t get enough of!
I recently went with some friends to a farm to pick out some pumpkins, and of course I had to get a few other things, including butternut squash. It makes just the right soup for this time of year to have a cozy dinner and savor the fact that the world is turning the most wonderful shades of orange, yellow and red all around us.
Jump into the kitchen and make some soup with me!
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon coriander
- Salt to taste
- 1 medium butternut squash (about 9 cups once chopped)
- 3.5 – 4 cups water with a bouillon cube dissolved in it (or use vegetable broth)
- Coconut yogurt (optional topping)
- Cilantro (optional topping)
For the crispy chickpeas:
- 1 14.5 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt to taste
Directions
- First, prepare your butternut squash by removing the skin with a peeler, scooping out the seeds inside, and chopping the rest into about 1 inch cubes. The size isn’t too important as it will be puréed later, but smaller cubes means a quicker cooking time.
- Chop the onion and and place into a large pot or dutch oven with the olive oil and cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
- Mince the cloves of garlic and add to the onions, stirring until fragrant, about a minute.
- Next add the ginger, turmeric, cumin, chili powder, coriander and salt and stir well.
- Add in all of the chopped butternut squash as well as the water (heated to dissolve a bouillon cube) or broth and stir.
- Turn the heat down to medium, put the lid on the pot and let simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- In the mean time, preheat the oven to 190°C or 365°F and place your rinsed and drained chickpeas on a dish towel and pat dry.
- Place the chickpeas on a baking sheet and and add the olive oil, cumin, garlic powder, and salt to taste.
- Stir the chickpeas until well coated with the oil and spiced and place in the oven for about 20 minutes or until browned and crispy.
- Once the butternut squash is soft, blend the soup using an immersion blender. (Alternatively, the soup could be puréed in a regular blender, but you may want to let it cool a bit first and blend in small batches.)
- To serve, top a bowl of the soup with some crispy chickpeas and a spoonful of coconut yogurt. Sprinkle on some cilantro and freshly ground pepper.
Makes about 4 servings as a main. Can be stored in the fridge for a few days.
