Curried Coconut Squash Soup

Surprise! Another soup recipe!  And it's a good one.  But then again, I love all the recipes on here.  This one is very different than my other Butternut Squash Soup.  I got this recipe from the Blendtec email list I joined.  They send some fabulous recipes each week.  You don't have to have a Blendtec to get the recipes.  But anyway, as usual, I changed it up to make it perfect for us.  Basically I just added 1/2 cup millet and 1/2 cup red lentils and onion.  That's it.  Makes it much more filling and stretches much further for our big family.  We never have leftovers with this.  Too bad.  I like to blend about 2/3 of it and leave the rest "chunky".  I made this last night and it was ready in just 25 minutes.  The last time I made this Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese I roasted 3 butternut squash at the same time.  I divided the leftover cooked squash into smaller portions and froze them in freezer bags.  It was sooo nice to have on hand!  I just plopped the big frozen block into my soup and let it simmer with the rest of it.  If I don't have time to roast my squash right before I make the recipe then I just peel and cube it and boil it with the soup until it's soft.  That works just as well and tastes just as good to me.  I hope you try this!

Curried Coconut Squash Soup

1 medium sized butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded, approximately 3 lbs.
1 Tbsp. peanut or grapeseed oil (I just used olive oil)
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 chunk ginger root, peeled and roughly chopped, approximately 2 tsp. (or 1/4 tsp. ginger powder)
2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (I left this out so my little kids would eat it)
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (I used a 13.66 oz. can of Thai Kitchen Lite Coconut Milk)
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/2 cup dry millet
1/2 cup red lentils, sorted through and rinsed
2-4 cups water
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Place halved butternut squash flesh side down in a 9x13 baking dish.  Roast for 50-60 minutes until squash is completely tender.  Let squash cool slightly.

In a large soup pot over medium-low heat, add oil, diced onion, garlic, ginger root, curry, cumin, and crushed red pepper. Simmer until fragrant, approximately 3-5 minutes.

Scoop flesh from squash.  Add to soup pot along with vegetable broth, millet, and lentils.  (Or add your frozen cooked squash or you can also add peeled, diced fresh squash if you didn't have time to pre-roast it.)  Cook for 20-25 minutes or until millet and lentils are soft (you might need a little more time if you're cooking the squash in the soup pot.)  Stir often so millet doesn't stick to bottom.  Add 2-4 cups of water as it is cooking if it gets too thick.  (I usually end up adding at least 3 cups but it all depends on how much squash you have, etc.  You don't want it too runny because it gets even thinner after you blend it.  You can always add more water after you blend if it's too thick.)

Transfer soup to blender in small batches.  Put back in soup pot and stir in coconut milk (I like to reserve a little bit for garnish) and lime juice.  Season with salt and pepper to taste, stirring occasionally.  Serve warm and garnish with fresh cilantro  and/or a drizzle of coconut milk.