Thai Butternut Soup

This recipe was adapted from Cooking Light Magazine and it is pure heaven. The pureed creamy butternut squash and the velvety coconut milk made this soup out of this world. The fresh ginger and the red curry paste created multiple levels of flavor and depth. Definitely top the dish with the fresh cilantro, lime and dry roasted peanuts for even more fun. 

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 1/2 teaspoons red curry paste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 2 (12-ounce) packages frozen pureed butternut squash
• 1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
• 1 lime, cut into 8 wedges

Preparation

1. 1. Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add curry paste, garlic, and ginger; sauté 45 seconds, stirring constantly.
2. 2. Add broth and next 5 ingredients (through salt); cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Place half of squash mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining squash mixture. Spoon about 1 cup soup into each of 4 bowls; top with 2 tablespoons peanuts and 1 tablespoon cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

Citrus marinated chicken, roasted garlic asparagus and sweet potatoes

     If you want a delicious and healthy dish on your table in under an hour, you're in luck! The longest part of this dish is marinating the chicken over night. I added the chicken breasts to my marinade which consists of olive oil, red onion, fresh cilantro, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper and refrigerated it over night. I cubed my sweet potatoes and sprayed them lightly with cooking spray and tossed in a generous amount of salt and pepper. I baked the sweets in the oven on 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes. While the potatoes were cooking I trimmed my asparagus and got them ready for the oven. I wanted to keep the clean fresh taste of the asparagus so I dressed them lightly with olive oil, chopped garlic, salt and pepper. When all else fails, keep it simple. The asparagus only take about 15 minutes in the oven in order to keep them crisp. There are many ways you can cook the chicken, I decided to grill the lean breast on my Calphalon grill pan. I love my grill pan and it's a great way to grill all year round. I love experimenting in the kitchen and creating different marinades is a great way to do so. Try this one out, it's light and citrusy and works great with fish also. 

Citrus marinated chicken
1 package boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 lemons zested and juiced
1 small red onion diced
1 bunch fresh cilantro chopped
1/4c olive oil
1 tsp salt and pepper

Roasted garlic asparagus
2 bunches asparagus
2 Tbsp chopped garlic
Drizzle asparagus with olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Sweet potatoes
2 large sweet potatoes cubed
cooking spray
salt and pepper