Looking for a healthy comfort food dish to warm your body after a hard winter workout? Olympic short-track speed skater Jessica Kooreman’s squash soup will warm your belly and refuel your muscles.
Here’s what you need
Kooreman starts this hearty soup with tender chunks of butternut and acorn squash, onion, and garlic. She adds mild curry paste and jalapeño to give it a tongue-tantalizing heat. While the soup is simmering to perfection, the speed skating athlete cooks a pot of sticky rice and pan-fries a lean chicken breast with salt, pepper, and turmeric. To serve, Kooreman ladles the squash soup into bowls and tops with sticky rice, chicken, diced avocado, and a garnish of pumpkin seeds.
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This recipe is packed with nutrients
Every ingredient in this Olympic-flavored soup is picked for its delicious and nutritious benefits. The curry and turmeric deliver anti-inflammatory compounds, which are helpful in muscle recovery after grueling workouts or competition. Winter squash, one of the world’s healthiest foods, is rich with immunity-boosting antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Pumpkin seeds are also high in antioxidants and other valuable nutrients, including healthy fats, manganese, magnesium, iron, and zinc. Avocado is another source of healthy fats and adds a nice color and creamy texture. The skinless chicken breast is loaded with muscle-building protein, which is an essential dietary component for athletes to stay in top shape. Sticky rice may not be a whole grain, but it is a quick and easy way to replace the carbohydrates a competitive athlete burns during fast and furious workouts.
As a busy athlete, Kooreman works meal prep into her schedule. She makes many of her favorite healthful meals in advance so she can easily reheat and eat. This sumptuous soup can be made on the weekend and enjoyed all week long.
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Chicken and squash soup
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash, cut into small chunks
- 1 acorn squash, cut into small chunks
- 1 onion, diced
- 1-2 cups chicken broth
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped (more or less to taste)
- Mild curry paste, to taste
- 1 jalapeno, cut and seeded (optional)
- 1 cup uncooked sticky rice
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 2 cups water
- 1 large chicken breast, cut into small cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Dash of turmeric
- Avocado, diced
- Pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- Put squashes, onion, 1-2 cups chicken broth (or 1 cup chicken broth and 1 cup water) into pot over medium heat.
- Add garlic, curry paste and jalapeño (if using) to pot.
- Cover pot with lid, bring to boil, and then simmer, stirring frequently until squash is soft.
- In a separate pan, start cooking sticky rice with a little bit of coconut oil and 1-1/2 cups water.
- Heat small pan with olive oil.
- Salt and pepper chicken and place in pan with turmeric.
- Cook chicken, stirring frequently.
- Scoop three or four large ladles of soup and place into blender. Blend until smooth being careful that the lid is held down tightly with a towel. Pour into large bowl. Repeat process until all soup is blended.
- For each serving, add soup to soup bowl, followed by rice, chicken and avocado.
- Garnish with pumpkin seeds.
Courses Soup
Watch the recipe video and check out others with Jessica Kooreman on Grateful.co.