Andrea and G have a lovely history together. Please enjoy the second post of a three post installment in their new series, The Fork in the Fight. Check out Part 1: Our Story and look forward to reading Part 3: Breathing Into Self-Awareness later this week!
The Fork in the Fight: recipes for restoring our souls and thriving in the face of cancer
Part 2: Butternut Squash Curry Bisque
The Recipe
This soup is our mutual favorite for cold winter nights and frosty winter days. It is hearty, flavorful, and comforting. As with all recipes, we believe in using fresh, seasonal, and unprocessed ingredients whenever possible. This can be easily adapted for vegan diets, locally available produce, or taste preferences – as those can change so often during and after treatment. For some ingredients, we have included potential substitution ideas or additional notes in [brackets] should one of them not work for you. For all ingredients we recommend local and/or organic when possible.
Butternut Squash Curry Bisque
Ingredients
+ 1 large or 2 small butternut squash [acorn squash]
+ 1 cup of apples, chopped*
+ 1 cup of sweet red onions, chopped
+ 1 cup of carrots, chopped [purple carrots to boost antioxidants]
+ 2 tablespoons of ghee [coconut or olive oil]
+ ¼ cup of ‘milk’ [raw, organic, whole milk, organic soy milk, or any non-dairy milk]
+ Curry to taste, at least 1 tablespoon [homemade recipe below]
+ 3 ¾ cups of vegetable broth [homemade or store bought]
+ 2 bay leaves
+ 2 tablespoons of local honey** [local maple syrup as a vegan option]
+ 1 bunch of cilantro or tulsi [parsley or another herb if preferred]
Homemade Curry
+ “Make your own by combining and grinding equal parts coriander, cumin, fennel, mustard, fenugreek, cardamom, poppy seeds, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric and 1/3 the amount of any one of the other spices, cloves” –Chef Johnny’s Korma Power, Eat, Taste, Heal, p. 229
Directions
After setting the oven to 350ºF, prepare the butternut by slicing lengthwise and drizzling the faces with ghee/coconut oil/olive oil. Place the squash face down on a cookie or baking sheet and bake for one hour. Roughly 10 minutes before the squash is done baking, chop the onion and sauté over medium heat in 1 tablespoon of ghee or sesame oil. Add chopped carrot and apple once the onion becomes more translucent and sauté for an additional 5 minutes. Once ready, remove the squash from the oven to cool and stir in the curry to the onion-apple-carrot mixture.
Into a new pot, scoop at least 3 cups of squash from the skins and add the vegetable broth. Stir in the onion-apple-carrot mixture, add 2 bay leaves, and top with a lid to let simmer. After one hour, remove the pot from the heat and take out the bay leaves. Blend, in small batches if necessary, and return the puree to the pot. Once the puree has cooled to eating temperature, stir in the milk and honey. Ladle the butternut squash curry bisque into a warm bowl and garnish with cilantro or parsley and a touch more ghee or oil if you are in need of the good fats.
*Ayurveda recommends enjoying fruit separately from other foods, so you could substitute the apple for extra carrots and cinnamon, or just enjoy the recipe as is occasionally, and if you have good digestive strength.
**Honey should be added only after the soup is done cooking as the honey’s beneficial enzymes and some nutritional value will be lost under high heat.
The full recipe can also be found on Andrea’s website, Grounded Here: http://groundedhere.com/butternut-squash-curry-bisque/
We are excited to explore our shared experiences of recovery, relationship building, and self-love with you. Stay well and take time for yourselves during this busy holiday season.
With love and gratitude,
Andrea and G
