I know we are getting into autumn but I thought I would be a rebel and put out one final summer recipe that you will have for next year if anything….but if you are like me and you happened to not find a use for all the summer squash that got so generously bestowed upon you by farming family and friends than this recipe is exactly what you need!
I am one of those people who when I am given freshly grown food from a garden want to find a way to enjoy it even if it isn’t my favorite vegetable. I believe we can all find ways to enjoy the nutritional benefits of foods we do not like without really tasting them. That is what I did with this soup! I am not sure if you can tell from the picture above but I don’t see any large chunks of summer squash floating around in there, do you? (And that is a rhetorical question because despite what you think you see, there are no squash pieces to be seen.)
Why??
Because I have always considered myself someone who will eat just about anything but I do not care for the taste of summer squash by any means. I LOVE winter squash but just could never get my taste buds around the summer varieties. I pureed all those puppies into the soup and if I didn’t tell you the squash was there, you would never know!
I decided to take this soup in a Thai direction because I just love soups that have that warm spicy curry flavor.
And??
This soup is completely vegan! Or plant-based. Or whatever label makes you feel better about eating a soup with absolutely no cream. The bonus to adding the squash to the blender is that it gives the soup a better richness, and to top that off I add a full can of coconut milk, which is an item that does not stay on my pantry shelves for very long.
I literally buy boxes of the stuff (thanks Cash and Carry!) and your pantry just feels invincible like you’re never going to run out, but then one day, you go to your shelves and you discover you’re down to the very LAST can. One observation, this always happens when you really need two cans of the stuff and one can just cut it but you thought you had plenty. Why does it never come to your attention that you’re completely wiped out when you are just going for a can to add to your oatmeal and you could have seriously lived without it? It keeps me wondering…..
To really add to the delicious Thai flavor of this soup. I added some Lemongrass, Ginger, and Bergamot essential oils. So a lot of Thai curries typically will use kaffir lime which is a citrus native to the southeast Asian areas. You can find the leaves a lot of times in Asian markets along with lemongrass as well. I use the lemongrass essential oils because it makes the flavor come out a lot faster than if you were to use real lemongrass. DoTERRA does not make a kaffir lime oil at the moment so I usually end up substituting real lime juice or a lime essential oil. Bergamot is a citrus that comes from the southern European area. I chose to use bergamot for this recipe just because I preferred the flavor. Bergamot essential oils also help calm stressful feelings so I also just slapped some on my wrists while cooking. Calming and delicious!
I promise this soup has all the flavors you’re looking for in Thai soup and helps you get rid of the last few summer squash just sitting around getting unused! So get up and go make this soup because I know you want to!
Enjoy!
Summer Squash Thai Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 shallots, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 small jalapeno, minced
- 1 large crookneck squash, cubed
- 1 tablespoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoons red curry paste
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 2-3 medium yellow potatoes, small cubed
- 4 cups fresh corn kernels
- 5 drops doTERRA bergamot essential oil*
- 4 drops doTERRA lemongrass essential oil*
- 4 drops doTERRA ginger essential oil*
- 1 (14oz) can coconut milk
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- Salt + pepper
- Basil and cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large soup pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the shallots, garlic, jalapeno and a pinch of salt. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant and soft. Slowly pour in the vegetable broth and add the cubed squash. Simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes or until the squash is fork tender.
- Add the contents of the pot into a blender and blend (or smooth with an immersion blender) and then add back into the soup pot. Add the potatoes and another pinch of salt and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Add in the corn, essential oils and the coconut milk. Continue cooking until the corn is tender and bright yellow, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice and cilantro and salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve warm topped with more chopped cilantro and basil. Yum!
Notes
-
I never add all the salt at once, it adds so much better flavor if you add the salt throughout the cooking process. Plus, if you oversalt all at once you can numb your taste buds and you will more than likely add more salt than you intended.
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If you do not want to use essential oils you can add minced ginger and lemongrass to the shallot mixture and puree in the soup and add more lime juice at the end. Easy!
