306-715-5396 caitliniles@live.com

Hi friend! I hope you’re having a great week so far. I’m currently in Saskatoon taking part in a 95 hour vinyasa yoga for youth training at One YogaIt’s been an incredible weekend so far and the week promises to be just full of great learning experiences working with youth all over the city.

Anyhoo, if I thought things were getting chilly in Kelowna, the -20 with snow weather in Saskatoon has kicked my little buns, so I thought I would share the recipe for my favourite go-to curry soup. I’ve made it for Thanksgivings, Christmases, and all kinds of other friend and family get togethers and have been refining it slowly over the years.

This recipe is the latest iteration, but feel free to get creative and don’t feel like you can’t make it if you’re missing a spice or two. I promise that if you make it with love it will still be delicious.

This soup is meant to be shared. It’s deep and nourishing and it takes time and energy to make it sing. It fills the house with a heady and intoxicatingly spicy aroma that wraps you up like a hug as soon as you step in the door. Any time I make it or share the recipe I remember the important role food plays in building community and bringing together family and friends.

When you’re gathered around a big table with your favourite people eating food that’s been prepared with love, magic can happen. Relationships can be forged, dreams can be revealed, and words begin to flow like water, connecting heart to heart and building a safe space of love and community.

I’ve talked about words and stories being powerful medicine, and I firmly believe that food prepared with love can have the same sort of effect. Say you have a friend suffering from a broken heart and you’re struggling to find some way to help. Make her a pot of soup, bring it over and sit with her (or don’t if she wants to be alone) and just let her speak. Or make space for her silence and her grief. The simple act of bringing her the gift of nourishment and an open heart can go a long way to let her know she’s special, loved, and important.

Anyway, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what I can do to help heal some of the pain and suffering in the world with what I do and thought, I’ll start with soup. So here you go: a special soup straight from my soul. Enjoy.

Vegan Curried Butternut Squash & Apple Soup Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp. butter or coconut oil
  • 2 tbsp. madras curry powder
  • 1 tsp. turmeric
  • 1 tsp. ground ginger
  • 1 tsp. ground coriander seed
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 1 tsp. chipotle or cayenne powder
  • ½ tsp. cinnamon
  • ½ tsp. garam masala
  • 1 medium butternut squash, cubed
  • 1 red or yellow onion, diced
  • ½ inch of ginger, finely chopped
  • 5 cloves of garlic, finally chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 2 apples, chopped
  • 4 cups broth or water
  • 1 Tbsp. fish sauce (optional)
  • 2 cups of coconut milk
  • Salt to taste

Directions

  1. Place a large saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Add spices and oil to saucepan and stir thoroughly to combine.
  3. Cover and let simmer 2 minutes or until fragrant.
  4. Chop butternut squash into small cubes and add to pot. *Option* Cut the butternut squash in half, deseed it, and roast at 375C until skin is brown and puckers. Let cool and scoop meat out of the skin.
  5. Add onion, ginger, and garlic to the spice mix and stir together. Let simmer an additional 1-2 minutes.
  6. Add celery, carrots, apple, squash, broth, and fish sauce to the pot.
  7. Raise to high heat and bring soup to a boil.
  8. Once soup reaches a rolling boil, reduce to low and let simmer 20 minutes until veggies are tender.
  9. Remove from heat, add coconut milk, and puree with hand-held blender until smooth.
  10. Return to heat to simmer another 5 minutes.
  11. Serve and enjoy!

That’s all for today friend. Thank you for indulging my fits of philosophical open-heartedness 😉

If you’re looking for more ways to heal from the inside out then make sure you download my FREE Fantastic Fermentation E-Book by clicking here. It’s filled to the brim with nourishing recipes.

Cait xo

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