Healthy & Hearty

Winter is in full effect. Temperatures are just about cold enough that you need a face mask to walk around outside, you can only feel about three toes, and well, you can’t even remember the last time you had full range of motion in your fingers. Chances are, you’re craving a warm, hearty meal to combat the cold. Most people don’t associate health with hearty meals, but it’s totally doable. In fact, healthy is the way to go this time of year to revamp your body with anti-inflammatory nutrients and ward off those winter colds. If that isn’t shocking enough (not really, but let’s pretend), we’re also gonna hit that craving with soup. Now, we’re getting crazy.

I don’t know about you, but I rarely consider eating soup for a full meal. If I do, the first thing I think of is a cream based soup, yet those are the worst kinds for you. They’re high in calories, loaded with water-retaining sodium, and topped off with artery-clogging saturated fats. However, I’ve found a way to mimic these silky soups for half the calories and double the benefits by utilizing a starchy vegetable.

That’s what brought me to make one of my all-time favorite soups: Coconut Butternut Squash Bisque. The magic is all in the butternut squash. Pureed, oven-roasted butternut squash thinned down with some rich coconut milk and flavorful vegetable broth is the trick of all treats. To satisfy completely, we all know you need a crunch factor. This is where those oven roasted, spicy chickpeas come in. The smokiness of paprika and spice from the cayenne pepper compliments the sweetness of the soup while their crunch adds a more satisfying bite. Finally, color makes everything more fun. I topped my soup with some steamed asparagus but any green will make a visually appealing meal and add a wider array of nutrients. If you still think this isn't satisfying enough, go to your local bakery and buy small multigrain rolls to dip in - Panera Bread style.

If you find that you love this soup, I encourage to play around with some other starchy vegetables. I’ve found that sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and acorn squash are great bases for decadent soups as well. See the recipe below for a mind blowing flavor bomb.

Coconut Butternut Squash Soup with Spicy Chickpeas

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Number of Servings: 8

Bisque Ingredients

2 lb butternut squash

1 large yellow onion

1 (15 oz.) can coconut milk

2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (or chicken broth)

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1-2 teaspoon salt (gradually add to taste)

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Chickpea Ingredients

2 (15 oz.) cans chickpeas drained and rinsed

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

Garnish

½ lb asparagus trimmed and cleaned

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 F. Peel the butternut squash, cut into one inch pieces and lightly toss with olive oil and salt. Lay flat on a baking pan and bake for 35 minutes gently tossing every 10 minutes. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Toss with olive oil, spices, and salt. Lay flat on a baking pan and bake for 35 minutes, tossing every ten minutes. Remove squash from oven when a fork can tenderly slide through and chickpeas are crispy (they will crisp up more once dried).

While Squash and chickpeas are cooking, chop the onion, add olive oil and red pepper flakes to a big pot and sauté until translucent (about 10 minutes). Once squash is done baking and slightly cooled, add squash, onions, cinnamon, salt and coconut milk to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the pureed mix back into the pot and simmer. Add the broth and mix well. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Allow chickpeas to cool and harden. Steam Asparagus for about 5 minutes. Serve it up in a bowl with chickpeas and asparagus on top.