Festive Soup for Thanksgiving!

Makes about 5 cups of soup

Planning your Thanksgiving table and menu? Then the spectacular carnival squash is sure to impress your friends and family! I feel that with its glorious fall colors, it captures the essence of autumn and nature’s bounty! What a neat package inside and out, by Mother Nature! It’s mellow, sweet taste glides on the tongue and combined with pear in this satiny smooth soup….. be  prepared for the Oohs and Aaahs and the Mmmmm Good!!!! from your guests !

Plus did I tell you how easy it is to cook this squash? That too in the microwave?  Lets face it, some of these squashes and pumpkins really challenge our arm strength. But the carnival squash was super easy to cut. I bought it at Trader Joe’s and ‘kind of’ followed the instructions on the sticker. I cut 4 -1” slits horizontally where I planned to cut the squash across and microwaved on high for 12 minutes. When I took it out (watch out, it gets hot) it glistened as if it was ready for its photo shoot ! I let it cool a bit so it was easy to handle but then it  was super easy to cut by just gliding the knife across ! No super arm strength required at all! How sweet is that?

I like to use the masoor dal in soups for it’s protein value and also because it helps thicken the soup without adding much  fat content to the soup. Adding the pear gives the soup that distinctive and delectable taste that lingers on the tongue! Home run on the first course! And how easy was that? Plus your family and friends will be thankful it is a low fat, low calorie course:)

Here is what I used-

• 1 medium sized carnival squash, washed and cooked. I got mine at Trader Joe’s. The instructions on the sticker said to pierce skin of squash 4 times and microwave 8 to 10 minutes until soft to touch.  I adjusted the microwave timing according to the size of the squash and my microwave.
• ¼ cup masoor dal (red lentils) ,washed and drained
• 3 ½ cups water or broth ,divided
• ½ teaspoon curry powder, such as the MDH arhar dal masala
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 small onion, peeled and grated
• salt to taste
• 1medium sized pear peeled ,cored and diced. I used bosc pear.
• juice of ½ lime

To serve-

• ¼ cup plain non fat Greek yogurt. I used Costco’s Kirkland brand plain, non-fat Greek yogurt
• 1/8 teaspoon curry powder, such as the MDH arhar dal masala
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
• sea salt to taste
• dried cranberries. I used Ocean Spray Craisins

To make the soup

1. Cook the carnival squash, as per the instructions, in the microwave. Remove and let it cool.
2. Meanwhile, combine the masoor dal, 1 cup of the water or broth, the curry powder, turmeric powder, onion and salt in a saucepan. Cover and cook it over medium heat until the dal is fully cooked, about 16 minutes.
3. Cut the carnival squash, remove the seeds and fiber and scoop out the cooked flesh.
4. Add the scooped flesh of the squash and the pear to the dal mixture along with the 1½ cups of water or broth and cook for another 5 or 6 minutes on low heat.
5. Add the lime juice, stir and remove from heat.
6. Check for seasonings. The carnival squash I got was very sweet and did not need even a touch of sugar. Puree the soup until satiny smooth. I used my Braun immersion blender.
7. For the topping, make the curry flavored Greek yogurt by mixing together the plain non fat Greek yogurt with the curry powder, sugar and sea salt.
8. Serve the soup ,topped with a dollop of the yogurt and some dried cranberries. Yum!

Happy Thanksgiving planning to you all! I am joining the fiesta with this festive soup at Fiesta Friday with thanks to  Angie @ The Novice Gardener ,  Nancy @Feasting With Friends and Loretta @Safari of the Mind.

Wishing you all a fabulous weekend,

Love,

Sandhya