Hey look – I’m still alive….again!

Wow, sorry it’s been so long since making a post; life has been full of craziness, what with work, the impending WeddSplosion, and training for my incoming backpacking trip at Yosemite.  Still, I feel a slacker for neglecting my duties here at n00bcakes.  While I don’t think I’ll ever be able to constantly keep up a 3-times-per-week posting schedule, I did want to have something new at least once a week.  So!  Here’s me endeavoring to get back on track.

I actually made this recipe last week (or was it the week before?) and really enjoyed it.  I’d been wanting something light for a meal that wasn’t a salad (I tire of salads quickly, truth be told), and this totally fit the bill for me.  I found it in a random tweet from someone (alas, I can’t remember who O.o) labeled as a good meal that didn’t necessitate turning on your oven very high.  I…sort of agree.  Though I don’t always have the finest touch when it comes to cooking, so it could be that I just wasn’t patient enough to let it simmer as opposed to boil.

   

As usual, one of my favorite things about this recipe is how incredibly simple it is.  Saute diced onions in the bottom of a pot with some garlic until soft.  Add sliced squash and cook until softened.  Pour in ~4 cups of stock (I used chicken, though the recipe called for vegetable) with spices and simmer.  Blend the crap out of it, then eat!

This recipe was especially fun for me because it gave me a chance to use my Ninja immersion hand blender…very cool. 😀  Actually, before I whipped out the Ninja, I snapped my previous immersion blender clean in half, leaving little shards of metal in my soup.  It simply couldn’t withstand the might of the squash it was attempting to defeat.  Luckily the Ninja was up to the challenge, and struck the squash into submission.  Also, I picked the metal shards out of the soup.  I had no interest in going to the hospital that night.

I was pleased with the end result; it was creamy (with chicken stock, anyway) and slightly curry tasting because of the curry powder the recipe called for (duh).  It could use a little extra zing…next time I might add a dash of something spicy, or maybe even just some salt.  Either way, a dollop of sour cream on top really was a fantastic last touch and made a bowl of soup feel like a hearty meal.  I don’t now how much I consider this a hot-weather meal (outside of it calling for summer squash), but it was still really good.  And easily transpose-able to a vegetarian or vegan meal if you so desire.  So go forth and squash it up!

Summer Squash Soup Recipe

Adapted from The Kitchn

Serves 5-6

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 lbs summer squash, sliced thin
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 4 gloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3-4 cups chicken broth, depending on how thick you want it (or use vegetable broth, if you’re keepin’ it vegetarian)
• Suggestions: salt/pepper, chipotle pepper

Instructions:

1. Saute onion with garlic and cumin in the olive oil in a large pot until onions are translucent.
2. Add sliced squash, cook until just softened, ~10 mins.
3. Add the curry powder and broth and bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer.  Simmer for 15 minutes.  If you want, I’d add a dried chipotle pepper here and let it simmer with the soup.
4. Remove the pot from heat and let it cool for 5 minutes, then using a regular or hand-blender, blend the crap out of it.  Make sure you remove your chipotle pepper first…or not, I guess!
5. Consume!