I pack my own lunch 3: Mexican-y Squash Soup

I had several small winter squashes in my hanging basket and have been meaning to cook them. I thought about stuffing them mostly. One of them, the pumpkin, bit the dust today. Unfortunately, I just waited too long to do anything with it. So I decided that the others should be cooked post haste or risk loosing them, too. 

Since I was not at all hungry (just came home from a huge brunch with friends) I was having trouble thinking about what to do with them. I thought about it and the fact that I hadn't planned anything yet for lunch this week, well nothing except I assumed I would make a soup since that's what I've been eating lately given it's winter and all... so, these pretty little squashes were cut, cored and popped in the oven to prep for what has turned out to be a damn good soup. And a really simple, limited ingredient dish at that. Oh, and let's not forget I had another awesome excuse to use my immersion blender! Love it!

I didn't want to make something I've had before. The standard curry or apple-carrot or basic squash soup was not appealing to my forecast appetite (again, because this would be for lunch during the work-week). What I thought I'd be craving by Monday was something with cilantro, which if fresh is one of my most favorite herbs! What could I do with cilantro and squash? ...Mexican-y Squash Soup!

When the squash were in the oven, I started a stock. I don't buy bouillon since it's a lot of processed stuff and has tons of sodium. So, using a great long ago suggestion from a friend, when I am prepping dinners I keep the ends of onions, celery, carrots, cabbage and sometimes 'shrooms in a bag in the freezer. When I want to make stock, I pull from that bag of frozen ends and toss them in the pot of water. Cover and cook on medium for at least 30 minutes and you have a tasty, tasty stock. Neat trick, eh? And now you know what's in your stock instead of guessing what someone else did to make it, which is kinda gross if you ask me. 

Ingredients

4 C Water*

3 1/2 C smashed Winter Squash (I used 1 butternut and 1 acorn)

1 jalapeno, chopped

3 T cilantro, roughly chopped

2 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp garlic powder

salt to taste

*I started with 2 cups of water to the stock, but in the end used a total of 4 cups of water.

Make it

First start the squash. Cut and core them. Put the flesh side facing down in a casserole dish. Add an inch of water and cover with foil. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until soft. Then start the stock. When it's finished, strain the vegetables and discard (compost). Return the stock to the pan and add the scooped cooked squash. Add the remaining water if needed. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Add the jalapeno and cook covered for several minutes. Then add the cilantro. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. Add salt to taste. Viola! It's complete and it's delicious!

I'll be very happy to be eating this for lunch this week. It's got just the right spice and warmth for cold, winter days in the office. And it's super good for me, too! 

Nutritional Info

Servings Per Recipe: 5

Calories: 161.6

Total Fat: 0.4 g

Cholesterol: 0.0 mg

Sodium: 690.7 mg

Total Carbs: 42.0 g

Dietary Fiber: 12.7 g

Protein: 3.3 g