Curried Squash and Apple Soup

In keeping with Autumn themes and using up what we have around, here is another apple recipe (we're still working our way through that big bag from apple picking - lol).  Many thanks to my friend, Valerie, who linked me to this recipe when I posted on Facebook looking for suggestions.

As per usual, I modified it for personal preference, but mostly based on what ingredients we had on hand.  Here's what I did....

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 of a butternut squash - seeds removed, roasted until tender, and scooped from the skin
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 4 teaspoons ground mustard seed (powder)
• 3 tablespoons curry powder (I didn't have "curry powder" on hand, so I made my own: 4 teaspoons of Penzey's Rogan Josh seasoning + 1 teaspoon of ground coriander + 1 teaspoon of ground cumin + 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric + 1 teaspoon of ground mustard seed, + 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper)
• 2 medium apples, plus 1 small apple.  I am not sure of the varieties, as they were mixed in the apple picking bag
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 10 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 1-1/2 tablespoons ginger, finely chopped
• 4 cups vegetable broth (I used Pacific Natural Foods Organic Vegetable Broth)
• 3/4 cup (6 ounces) plain yogurt (I used a reduced fat, but not non-fat, variety)
• 1 lime -- cut off four thin rounds and reserve the remainder for squeezing

DIRECTIONS

1. If you haven't already cooked the squash, preheat the oven to 500ºF.  Place the squash in the oven and cook for 50 minutes, or until soft.  Scoop the flesh out and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, pour the oil into large pot over medium heat. Add the mustard powder and cook for 30 seconds or so, then add the curry powder and cook, stirring occasionally, for a minute or two.
3. Add the apples, squash, onion, garlic, ginger, and vegetable broth.  Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes.
4. Blend the soup until smooth.  Carefully stir in the yogurt, squeeze in some lime juice, and garnish each bowl with one of the thin lime rounds.
5. Season with salt if needed (I didn't do this).

It turned out four 1.5 cup servings, each with:

• 309 calories
• 6 grams protein
• 40 grams carbs
• 16 grams fat
• 0 fiber
• 573 mg sodium

MY REVIEW

I thought the soup was pretty spicy (definitely too spicy for regular people -- unlike me -- who don't like a lot of heat).  This was probably due mainly to the curry powder mix that I created and the amount of ground mustard seed that I used.  It could definitely be dialed down as you prefer by by altering the curry powder mix or reducing mustard seed powder.

I also thought that yogurt was an odd choice for the creaminess in this soup.  It mixed in only sort of okay, in my opinion -- turning out kind of lumpy (teeny bits of the yogurt didn't break down completely and you can see them floating around in the soup).  Flavor wise -- the yogurt was fine.  Next time, though, I will use cream and/or butter rather than yogurt.

Finally, the soup is pretty calorically heavy for only a 1.5 cup serving.  This could be lessened by reducing the amount of oil -- for example, if we were to remove the oil altogether, that would whack 120 calories and 13 grams of fat from each bowl.

All in all, I liked it and the idea of combining squash with apples, but I will certainly modify it further if I make it again.