Butternut Squash and Kidney Bean Soup

Since I turned vegetarian a year back, I had much difficulty adjusting my diet to ensure that I got enough iron and protein which I earlier received from fish, poultry, meat and eggs from non animal sources. Though I am not vegan, I am lactose intolerant to some extent. I can eat yogurt and certain types of ripened cheese but no milk, butter and the likes. Hence it became doubly difficult to consume the suggested daily iron intake. Inevitably, I who always had above normal hemoglobin percentage was diagnosed with anemia eight months into my restricted diet.

I was asked to consume large amounts of spinach, tofu and dried beans every day. After a month of Indian daals, spinach soup and tofu salad, I had to find innovate new ways to cook these for my food lust. A friend sent me to 101 cookbooks and among scores of nutritious veggie recipes; I found adzuki butternut squash soup.

I didn’t know what adzuki was nor did I want to go to the store to buy a new kind of bean when I already had enough jars of them to last me a year. Thus I did what I have learnt to do well. I substituted adzuki with regular kidney beans or rajma. The butternut squash, kidney beans and cinnamon blend for a robust and very holiday-ey flavor.

After the initial attempt which we both liked, I added to and subtracted from the original recipe to create a soup that can give chicken noodle soup tough competition in the comfort food category even for meat loving N. On a cold fall evening, this soup will warm your body and soul.

Taking another giant step in the world of cookery bloggery, this soup is going to Susan's MLA-17, hosted by Sra of When My Soup Came Alive.

Butternut Squash and Kidney Bean Soup

Ingredients:

Butternut squash - 2 cups, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (about half a normal size squash)

Kidney beans - 2 cups, canned or cooked

Red onions - 1 medium, finely chopped

Tomatoes - 1 finely chopped

Garlic - 4 cloves, minced

Dried red chili - 3, crushed

Coriander seeds - 1 tsp, coarsely crushed

Cinnamon - 1tsp

Oil - 2 tbsp (I use canola)

Salt - 1 tsp (fine grain sea salt is recommended but if you don't have it use regular table salt)

Water - 3 cups

For Garnish:

Smoked paprika/ roasted chili flakes - 1/2 tsp or to taste

Roasted almond slivers - 1tbsp

Goat cheese - 1 tbsp, crumbled

Method:

• Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add cinnamon, coriander seeds, chilies and salt and saute until aromatic.
• Add onions and saute to golden.
• Add garlic, tomatoes and butternut squash, stir well, and then add 3 cups of water. Bring to a rolling boil, and once boiling, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for a few minutes, until the squash begins to soften about 8-10 minutes.
• Once the squash has softened, mash the squash pieces a bit with either a masher or the back of a ladle.
• Add the beans and cook a couple more minutes. Check for salt and add more if needed. Remove from heat.
• Serve garnished with smoked paprika, roasted almonds and crumbled goat cheese. Of course, I give the cheese a miss but N says it goes very well with the sweetness of the soup.

Serves - 4

Suggestion: Everybody, including trained chefs have a tough time peeling hard skinned squashes. If you find peeling the squash extremely difficult and frustrating, bring a large pot of water to boil. The pot should be large enough to hold a whole squash without water flowing over. Submerge the squash in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. This will soften the skin and the meat just beneath the skin will get cooked making it easier to cut and peel the skin off.