Coconut Squash Soup!

This soup brings together elements of various cuisines. Its kind of a Moroccan tangine and Thai curry soup all in one. If you don't like spicy, you can leave out the chili powder and flakes and reduce the Harissa (If you do this, increase the cardamom to kick up the flavor a bit). Also, if you want to do the lowfat/low calories thing, you can leave out the coconut milk and substitute more vegetable broth.

Ingredients
2 TBS of olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4-5 cups of squash (any kind), cooked
1-2 red peppers (roasted or fresh), chopped
1 can of coconut milk
2-3 cups of vegetable stock

1/2 tsp Chipotle chili powder (regular will also do if you don't have it but the Chipotle has a very distinct smoky taste)
5-7 small cardamom seeds(whole green pods), removed from pods and slightly crushed
3 tsp Harissa paste (true Harissa does not have tomatoes in it, but check the label).
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt (more or less to taste)

To cook the squash, cut in half, scoop out the seeds and place face-down on a cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes until the insides are soft enough to scoop out with a spoon. You can do this up to a couple days in advance if you want. Also, cooked squash keeps really well in the freezer. If you keep some frozen squash around you can throw this soup together super fast whenever you are in a hurry for a meal!

In a soup pot, heat olive oil until fragrant and add onions. Turn heat to medium low and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes. Once onions are fully cooked, add squash, vegetable broth, coconut milk and peppers and increase heat to medium to bring soup to a simmer.

Add Chipotle powder and cardamom to soup and cook for 20-30 minutes, until squash is very soft and coming apart.

Remove soup from heat and allow to cool slightly. Using an immersion blender or food processor puree soup until squash is fully incorporated and soup is creamy in texture, adding water or vegetable broth as needed to lighten consistency. Stir in the Harissa.

This recipe will serve 4 people as a main dish. Serve it with some crusty bread and a big salad on the side. Yum!!