about this recipe

Make a lot of this one.. it’s really flavorful and reheats well for leftovers or after freezing.
You might not have fennel seeds + black sesame seeds on hand,
but their worth buying. Once you make this earthy, flavorful + super healthy! topping you’ll use it again and again.

serving size: 6   prep time: 25 min    total time: 30 min

ingredients

  • 1 butternut squash, peeled and diced. or buy frozen, chopped squash.
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 white onion, peeled and small diced
  • 1 -2 heads kale
  • a few sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley 1/2 lemon
  • 2 15oz cans of chickpeas, drained + rinsed 1/4 cup sliced almonds
  • 1.5 containers vegetable or chicken stock

spices:

  • garam masala
  • ground cumin
  • red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons fennel seed
  • 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds

recipe

  1. Heat oven at 375.

  2. Peel, and small dice butternut squash. (1’2” - 3/4” thick pieces).

  3. Chop onion into small dice and slice garlic into thin strips.

  4. Sauté onion and garlic in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. Add 1/2 teaspoon cumin and 1/2 teaspoon garam masala. Then add butternut squash, Sauté for 5 minutes on high heat.

  5. Cover for 5 minutes (also stir a couple times) to create some steam for squash.

  6. Add broth and 1/2 more teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon coriander 1 teaspoon salt + a dash or two of red pepper flakes if you like heat and a dash of cinnamon. Cook on low heat for 20 minutes.

  7. Make topping. Over low heat, add 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Add almond slivers, sesame seeds + fennel seeds to pan and stir. Cook over low heat for about 5 minutes until the flavors are aromatic and begin to lightly toast. Nuts and seeds burn fast so you want to keep an eye on them + stir often.

  8. Wash, chop + sauté kale with 1 tablespoon olive oil + sliced garlic.

  9. Always taste soup before you serve. See if it needs more salt or any further seasoning. I’ve had cases where the squash was not so ripe and I added just a teaspoon of sugar or tomato paste to sweeten it up a little bit. Or it might be just perfect!

  10. Serve by adding soup to bowl, topping with kale, then topping, then parsley and a squeeze of fresh lemon.

    If you’re not dairy free, feta or greek yogurt is a nice addition to this soup too! 

 

nutrition tip

This ayurvedic soup is soothing, comforting and cleansing. It has a lot of fiber from beans + squash, and gently builds heat in the body with salted onion, garlic, and spices. Fennel and parsley are gently cleansing herbs, and fit perfectly with this soothing and cleansing soup. Squash isn't just a comfort food for the senses, it is also an ideal comfort food for weight loss and diabetes. Its mild diuretic qualities drain excess heaviness from the body, helping to flush water retention from the body. And although it tastes sweet, the complex carbohydrates in butternut squash is low-glycemic and will not raise your blood sugar.