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It is cold and crisp in PNW. -4 C in the morning is borderline state of emergency on the West Coast. I have a good laugh watching neighbours covering their cars with blankets after living in Alberta for 8 years. There, you turn heater on in the morning and AC in the afternoon in summer. Only in Alberta. In winter, plug your car below -25 C and other times just make sure to always have that scraper thing.
Perfect for some velvety smooth, hearty and healthy slow cooker butternut squash soup.
This weather made a soup making machine out of me. Remember I mentioned making slow cooker butternut squash soup a few weeks ago?! The one that sent us all to bed hungry. So I remade it, loaded with more food and it couldn’t have been more delicious! I made it past week but since it was US Thanksgiving I held off posting until now.
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This slow cooker butternut squash soup came out so rich, velvety smooth and with delicious Thai flavours of rich coconut milk, peanuts, lime and cilantro. And red bell peppers are a must for Thai cooking in my world. Their sweetness pairs well with zesty lime. And I like to add peppers at the end so they stay crunchy – my kids do not eat cooked peppers (I was the same).
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And I love the slow cooker version of the butternut squash soup because you can go about doing what yo have to do, especially this busy time of the year. And then just load it up right before serving.
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I decided this year not to develop any Holiday baked good recipes because frankly I do not want to eat them. I just do not have a huge sweet tooth craving but rather a savoury one. Nature’s Path peanut butter chocolate bars and coconut oil fudge in my freezer will suffice for the entire December.
This slow cooker butternut squash soup recipe is magical. Definitely a staple! Absolutely everyone licked their bowls – not too spicy for kids. Enjoy!
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Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash (8 cups), cubed
- 14 oz can coconut milk, full fat*
- 2 cups water
- 2 tbsp raw honey or maple syrup
- 1 tbsp red curry paste
- 1 inch ginger, peeled & grated
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 4-5 kaffir lime leaves (optional)**
- 1.5 lbs chicken (any parts, skin on or off-I used chicken breasts)
- 2 cups quinoa, cooked
- 2 large red bell peppers, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup peanuts, unsalted
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 lime, juice of
Directions
- In a large slow cooker, add squash, coconut milk, water, honey, curry paste, ginger, garlic, salt, lime leaves and chicken. Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours or on High for 4 hours.
- Remove chicken and shred using two forks. Discard lime leaves. Using immersion blender, blend soup until smooth. Add chicken, quinoa, bell peppers, peanuts, cilantro and lime juice. Stir and serve hot. Alternatively you can serve toppings separately.
Notes
*Do not use light coconut milk - soup will be flat. **I usually get kaffir lime leaves at an Asian store. They are basically Thai bay leaves and can be stored forever tightly sealed in the freezer. You can also get them on Amazon. I would say there is no close replacement for the bright floral and citrusy aromatic that kaffir lime leaves add to the dish. However, it is OK to omit them. Soup will still taste great!
Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving = 2 cups:
Calories: 504.1
Total Fat: 16.8 g
Cholesterol: 55.0 mg
Sodium: 799.2 mg
Total Carbs: 59.2 g
Dietary Fiber: 11.2 g
Protein: 35.0 g
WW Points+: 13
The post Slow Cooker Quinoa, Chicken and Butternut Squash Soup appeared first on iFOODreal.