Butternut Thai Curry Bisque

Photo taken on kitchen counter top in crappy lighting with shaky hand.
Soup made with quality and local ingredients, delicious spices, and lots of love!

Hopefully the soup itself makes up for the photo of the soup. 

If you asked me - I know you didn't but hypothetically IF you did - "Morgan, what is your style of cooking?" I would say something along the lines of:

• plant-based: mostly whole foods like fruits, vegetables, greens, roots, legumes, grains, herbs, nuts and seeds 
• health infused: local/seasonal/organic when possible, clean ingredients, foods with high nutritional value
• normal person cooking: low effort, time saving, inexpensive, uses hacks, must taste good
• globally local: flavor profiles from all over the world, but using local ingredients

Check, check, check, and CHECK!

I recently made this soup while leading an educational workshop about detox. Why is this soup so detox-friendly? In other words, how does it help your body keep you healthy?

1. Ginger, garlic, turmeric, red chili, lemongrass: these ingredients stimulate digestion, help fight colds and cancer, and are loaded with vitamins (understatement, as each of these has it's own long list of benefits!)
2. Butternut squash: high in antioxidants, boosts immune system, reduces inflammation, helps prevent and fight certain cancers, keeps bones healthy, improved physical performance and reduces fatigue, aids in weight loss, reduces symptoms of PMS
3. Coconut cream: adds some delicious healthy fat! Fat will help with the absorption of nutrients, slow down the absorption of sugars, and keep you full for longer
4. Even the garnish helps rid our body of heavy metals! (That would be cilantro, and that would be actual metals in our body, not metal music)
5. Pre-chewed: not as gross as it sounds - our bodies use a lot of energy to digest food, but foods that have been blended (like soups or smoothies) reduce the amount of effort required to digest it (p.s. did you know digestion takes up 80% of our energy?!)

So, there ya have it! So many awesome reasons why you should make this soup TONIGHT! And then subsequently ALL WINTER LONG like I will be!

​Butternut Thai Curry Biqsue

Ingredients:
1 TBSP coconut oil
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1-2 TBSP red curry paste*
1-2 TBSP turmeric powder
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
2 cups root vegetables of choice*, cubed 
2-3 cups vegetable stock*
1 can coconut cream
Garnish: peanuts, cashews, cilantro, lime

Instructions:
In a large pot or Instant Pot*, heat the coconut oil on medium/high, then add the onion, garlic, ginger, curry paste and turmeric. Let these ingredients sizzle while the spices become aromatic. After a couple minutes, add a splash of vegetable stock to deglaze the pan.
Add the rest of the ingredients other than the garnish, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes, or until squash is tender.
Use an immersion blender to blend until creamy. Serve hot with garnish.
​
*Red curry paste can be found at Asian grocery stores, but be careful because the ingredients will often include shrimp paste! This one is from Amazon and is fully plant-based!
*If using an Instant Pot, use the saute function, then set to cook manually for 10 minutes.
*Root vegetables: I used a carrot and a turnip; you could also use sweet potato, parsnip, or more squash or pumpkin
*If you like your soup thicker, use less stock, and if you like it thinner, add some additional (but add at the end!)

OH AND P.S.!! If you want to do a detox, eat foods like this and feel AMAZING, check out my signature detox program. You can DIY it with my support, or better yet, if you are local, sign up for one of the in-person detox groups (Amesbury MA, Portsmouth NH, York ME) that will run throughout the month of January! 

​Resources
https://draxe.com/butternut-squash-nutrition/