Hangover Soup

I’d like to start by saying that I did NOT make this soup because I had a hangover.  (However, I did have a lingering headache all day that went away after I ate this…hmmmm…)

This is another recipe inspired by Smart Chefs Stay Slim, although I adjusted some proportions and used some random veggies I had hanging out in the fridge.  It’s basically a spicy broth with shrimp and greens – I can definitely understand why it would be good hangover food!

I’m going to write out the recipe as I made it, but you could easily substitute whatever greens/veggies you have on hand. It’s a great recipe for a fridge cleanout day!

Hangover Soup (makes two generous servings)

• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 heaping teaspoon Red Curry Paste
• 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• juice of 1/2 a lime
• 1/2 cup leftover chicken, diced
• 10-12 shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 medium carrot, sliced in thin rounds
• 1 1/2 cups Swiss chard, chopped
• 2 scallions, chopped
• chopped cilantro (for garnish)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup rice noodles (soaked in warm water for 8-10 minutes) or cooked rice (if you have some handy)

Bring chicken broth and water to a boil.  Add red curry paste, fish sauce, sugar and lime juice.  Stir.  Add chicken, garlic and carrots.  Cook for about 2 minutes – just until the carrots start to soften.

Add rice noodles, shrimp, Swiss chard, scallions, salt and pepper and cook over medium high heat until the shrimp are cooked through.  Pour the noodle soup into two large bowls, top with cilantro (if you want) and an additional squeeze of fresh lime (or a wedge of lime for garnish).  Eat and enjoy!

That’s it.  It’s that easy.

Now, I did have to go buy curry paste and fish sauce, because I don’t usually cook with those ingredients, but I am so glad that I did!  I can easily see this soup becoming a go-to after work meal.  It was spicy but light, and I felt fantastic after I ate it.  What more can you ask for?

Curry Squash Soup

I’m still working through the mass quantities of squash from Friday’s Fall CSA.  Because I’ve been spending so much time with squash, I had a revelation today that I would like to share.  I love – really, really love – winter squash!  Who knew?  As I ate the last of my leftover Baked Winter Squash Pasta for lunch today, I fully realized the awesomeness of winter squash.

Squash is pretty.  Squash is tasty.  Squash is healthy!

So for my next squash recipe, I was inspired by the Coconut Curry Soup at Fresh Veggies in the Desert.  I am not a fan of coconut, but the combo of squash and curry sounded yummy, so I decided to experiment.

I started by roasting one of the kobacha squash from my CSA.  This is my new favorite squash.  It’s a little weird-looking, but that’s part of the fun.  It has a sweet taste, the texture is velvety, and it’s such a bright orange!  Love it!

While the squash was cooking, I cut up some carrots and onions, and sautéed them in a heavy-bottomed pan with olive oil.  I added salt, pepper, and curry powder to the veggies.  (As soon as I added the curry, it started to smell fantastic!!)  After they cooked for about 10 minutes, I added some chicken stock.

When the squash was done, I scooped out the insides and put them aside in a bowl.

I blended the squash and the chicken stock/veggie mixer in two batches.  I wanted a really smooth soup, so I blended it for a couple of minutes, then added it back to the pot to simmer.  Such a pretty color!

I felt like the soup needed something added to it, so I sautéed some shrimp with olive oil, salt, pepper and smoked paprika.  I love the bags of frozen, easy peel shrimp.  It’s such an easy, healthy add-on to a meal and it only takes a couple of minutes to cook!  I originally used smoked paprika for the color, but it turns out that the smoky flavor went wonderfully with the soup.

It’s nice when a plan comes together.

I topped the whole thing with a drizzle of sour cream just to make it look pretty, and there it is!  I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this dish.

Has anyone else ever made a recipe that you weren’t terribly excited about, but then ended up loving?  Isn’t it a nice surprise?

Now, the recipe:

Curry Squash Soup

• 5 – 6 cups cooked squash
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 2 small onions or 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 2 Tablespoons Curry Powder
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  There are different ways to cook squash, but I’ve had good luck with this method:  Cut the squash in half and scoop out seeds.  Place the squash, skin side up, in a casserole dish with about 1/2 inch of water.  Cook until the squash is soft – for this recipe, it took about an hour.  When you remove the squash from the oven, let cool for a few minutes.  Scoop out the cooked squash and set aside.

Add olive oil to a heavy bottom pan over medium heat.  Add carrots and onions, salt, pepper and curry powder and cook until soft (about 10 minutes).  Add chicken stock and continue to cook for 5-10 minutes.

Blend half the squash with half the carrot/onion mixture until smooth.  Blend the second half (unless you have a really big blender and you can fit it all in one batch).  Return to the stovetop and simmer.

Eat and enjoy!!