The soup
theme continues! Spring will start next week and along with that we are getting
some warmer weather finally. On these warmer Spring days it might be nice to
have a simpler soup, maybe even a cold soup so we have two recipes for you. One
is a creamy cold soup and one is a simple puréed butternut squash soup.
Cold soup is
not something that really appeals to us. I have never tried it but this recipe
sounds very intriguing, almost like it could be a dip or dressing as well. It
might be nice to take with you to work as a light lunch and you don’t even need
to fight your coworkers in the lunch room to warm it up!
Some
different types of cold soup are...melon, roasted cherry tomato, blueberry,
pineapple, carrot and ginger, mint and cucumber, zucchini basil, avocado and asparagus,
cauliflower and yogurt, tomato, peach and ginger, the list goes on and on! Take
a look on the Internet and see all of the combinations.
Creamy Cucumber with Yogurt and Dill
2 large cucumbers (2
¼ pounds), halved and seeded -
1 ½ cups of
plain Greek yogurt
3 tbsp. fresh
lemon juice
1 small
shallot
1 clove of
garlic
1/3 cup of
fresh dill
¼ cup of
fresh parsley
2 tbsp.
tarragon leaves
¼ cup of
olive oil
½ finely chopped
red onion
Salt and
pepper to taste
Combine the
chopped cucumber with the yogurt, lemon juice, shallot, garlic, dill, parsley,
tarragon, and olive oil. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate
overnight.
Serve with a
drizzle of olive oil, some red onion, and the finely diced cucumber.
Super super
easy!
Now for the puréed
soup. These ones are just how they sound. They are smooth and everything is
combined and packed full of flavour and are vegetable based so they are healthy
for you (if you don’t add too much cream) and keep you feeling full. The best
part is the toppings! Pureed soups are great with a nice topping as they are so
smooth. Add on some bacon bits, croutons, quinoa, cheese, seeds, basil, you can
practically add anything on top. It would be a great idea for a party. Have a
simple flavourful puréed soup and then just have a table full of different toppings!
Some puréed
soups include, butternut squash, carrot, split pea, cauliflower, tomato, squash
and garlic, broccoli and white bean, sweet potato and curry, bell pepper and
quinoa, Spring green soup, chickpea, lentil, and pumpkin just to name a few.
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
6 cups of roasted
butternut squash (about 2 medium-large ones should do it)
3 tbsp.
butter
½ cup diced
onion
4 cups of
chicken broth
1 sprig of
thyme
1/3 cup
maple syrup
2/3 cup of
heavy cream
½ medium
apple, shredded (optional)
Roast the
squash in advance or you can do it the same day as you make the soup.
To roast the
squash, cut in half and take out the seeds and stringy flesh. Place face down
on a cookie sheet. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 60-70 minutes. After they come
out, flip over and allow them to cool for a few minutes. Once cooled, scoop all
of the flesh out and either set aside to allow it to cool if you’re not going
to use it right away or if you’re making your soup right away, measure out 6
cups.
In a big
soup pot, melt the butter.
Add in the
onion until softened, but not browned.
Next mix in
the butternut squash and the chicken broth and stir until well combined. If you
want to use the apple, then add it in here. Also add in the thyme.
Bring to a
boil and then reduce heat to simmer for 20-30 minutes.
After it has
simmered with the lid off, then remove the sprig of thyme. You can do one of
two things here now. You can use an immersion blender and puree the soup until
smooth or you can add small batches of your soup to a blender and blend it all
up until smooth and then put back into the warm pot.
Lastly add
the cream and the maple syrup and stir in.
Taste it and
add as much salt and pepper as you like.
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