Roasted Red Kuri Coconut Curry Soup

You ever buy a vegetable and wonder what to do with it?

I do it all the time...

My answer to my red kuri squash purchase was this exotic Indian inspired soup. Coconut milk, cumin, garam masala, curry powder and cilantro balance out the sweetness of the roasted red kuri squash, to create this aromatic soup. Serve this with a piece of garlic naan and you have yourself a meal. If you love the flavors of Indian cuisine, you will love this soup.

I cheated with the naan.

Trader Joe's sells frozen garlic naan that only takes 2 minutes to heat up. I've had requests to create a naan recipe from scratch (I promise I didn't forget, it's still on my to do list) but store bought naan worked perfectly fine, they sell naan in most supermarkets nowadays.

I was even thinking of cutting the naan into small squares to create garlic naan croutons, wouldn't that be cool?

The serving size will slightly vary depending on the size of your kuri squash. Adding chili pepper gives this soup some heat but I'm leaving that optional. Roasted pumpkin, or acorn squash would also work. Added bonus, this is vegan and gluten free!

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Skinny Chicken Tikka Masala

Tender chunks of boneless chicken breast cooked in an aromatic creamy tomato sauce. Chicken tikka masala, probably the most popular dish on the menu of any Indian restaurant here in the states, but ironically this dish is claimed to be originally from Britain and is actually Britain's national dish.

I've attempted a skinny version of this dish many times without all the cream and ghee (clarified butter) yet never felt quite satisfied with the results. I almost gave up figuring this is probably just one of those dishes that does not lighten up well, after all it's also known as Butter Chicken!

There is no standard recipe for chicken tikka masala; a survey found that of 48 different recipes, the only common ingredient was the chicken so I am sure we all have different ideas of what it should taste like. This week I stumbled on this recipe from a throw down with Bobby Flay from the restaurant Saffron on the Hudson. I gave it another shot using fat free yogurt and low fat milk in place of the cream and we felt for a lightened up version it was pretty darn good and not too complicated, my kind of recipe! I served this over a basmati medley but this would also be wonderful with naan.

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Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup

Coconut milk, curry and cumin really compliment the flavor of the butternut squash in this savory soup. This may be my new favorite way to eat butternut squash. Even my husband, who is not a fan of squash, requested a second bowl. And speaking of bowls, isn't this pumpkin bowl adorable? I got this at Pier One, what a perfect setting for Thanksgiving!

Olga from Mango and Tomato inspired me to make this soup. I modified it using ingredients I had on hand, and made my curry with Indian spices my friend Tricia picked up for me in a West Indian store. This would also taste great with pumpkin or acorn squash. For a thicker soup, use more squash, or less broth. I cheated and used a bag of cut and peeled butternut squash to save time. This took less than twenty minutes from start to tummy. Gluten free, low fat, vegan, high fiber, this recipe satisfies many different diet restrictions.

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Lamb Kheema with Peas

Kheema is a traditional Indian dish made of spiced ground meat, usually combined with peas or potatoes. Usually made with chicken or lamb, however it's also great with ground turkey or beef. I love this dish because it is easy to make and taste great. Serve this with white or brown rice to complete your meal. Leftovers make great stuffed peppers!

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Mango Lassi

Mango Lassi is a healthy sweet Indian smoothie made with fresh mangoes, yogurt and milk. I used fat free yogurt and milk to keep it light. It's delicious and a wonderful way to start your day, or enjoy this with a nice Indian dish like chicken curry.

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Indian Spiced Cauliflower and Potato

One of the best benefits of living in New York City is you get to taste food from around the world. Indian food is one of my favorites. Aloo Gobi is a low point vegetarian stew typically served with basmati rice and roti. This can be a main dish or a side dish, as a side dish it would feed 6. It even got two thumbs up from hubbie who is not as experimental.

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Roasted Chickpea Snack

A great addictive snack! I am not a huge fan of the texture of chickpeas, but once roasted they become nutty, crunchy and addicting!

What's more, they make a healthy snack and are simple to make. Loaded with fiber, zinc, folate and protein it's a win win. You can use any spices you like or adjust the spice to your taste. The possibilities are endless. If you don't like curry, try using salt and garlic powder.


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