Three Sisters: Food and Words: Thai Butternut Squash Soup

It's officially fall, my favorite time of year! It starts off with my birthday, the fun continues with college football, and the excitement builds until we reach Halloween and the beginning of the holiday season. Oh, and in case you were wondering, Waylon is going to be a puppy dog for Halloween. Naturally, I've had that planned since early July. And, yes, he will be the cutest puppy ever to trick or treat in the history of San Clemente.

But the best part of fall is that, the second winter squash hits the shelves of Trader Joe's, we are eating all pumpkin (or butternut squash, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, the list goes on...) all the time. Just yesteday Waylon and I picked up two butternut squashes, four cans of pumpkin, two fresh pumpkins, and two acorn squashes at the market. This was in addition to a half-eaten spaghetti squash that was already in our fridge at home.

I've also been stocking up on other fall flavors, like cranberries, sage leaves, and maple syrup. But after reading Becky's previous post featuring Thai cuisine, I had been craving something sweet and spicy, something Thai-inspired. So when I ran across this recipe on my favorite blog, 101 Cookbooks, I knew I had to try it. I modified it slightly to use a butternut squash, but it couldn't have been easier, was very healthy, and tasted rich and delicious!

Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash
1 can lite coconut milk
3 tsp. red thai curry paste (or to taste)

Directions:

1. Poke a few holes in your butternut squash and toss in a 375 degree oven. Roast for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until very soft.

2. Remove butternut squash from oven, and when cool enough to handle, slice in half lengthwise, remove seeds, scoop squash out of rind, and transfer to a pot.