Chunky Carrot & Squash Soup with Coconut & Red Pepper Flakes

And now onto the star of my 3 day long soup cooking spree -- Chunky Carrot & Squash Soup with Coconut & Red Pepper Flakes. Unfortunately I can't take the credit for this gem, it is a creation of Jacqueline's from Tinned Tomatoes.

This soup is the perfect marriage of spicy, creamy, and chunky. I seriously cannot praise this soup enough, and neither can several other people that got a crack at the two different batches I made this week. I am definitely guarding the last couple of servings of leftovers with my life. The only thing that I changed is that the original recipe called for 1/2 cup coconut milk and I used 1 cup to make mine extra creamy. Also, it seems that a hand blender would serve well for the light blending needed at the end of the process, but I don't have one so I used a potato masher and this worked great.

Chunky Carrot & Squash Soup with Coconut & Red Pepper Flakes
(from Tinned Tomatoes)

1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 onion, finely sliced
1/2 medium butternut squash, cubed
3 potatoes, diced
6 carrots, diced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp ground coriander
6 cups vegetable stock
1 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Saute the onion, garlic and ginger until softened. Next add the carrots, squash and potatoes and saute for 5 - 10 minutes before adding the herbs and spices. Pour in the stock and cook covered at a simmer for 30 minutes. It is ready once the vegetable are tender. Blend the soup a little, but leave enough vegetables whole for a chunky soup. Stir through the coconut milk and cilantro, and season to taste.

Serves 6-8