Curry Butternut Squash and Quinoa Soup

Another night with BIG dinner plans and I just couldn't pull it together. Plan B. I looked around my kitchen and my huge Butternut Squash was staring at me. Something with Butternut Squash tonight. I rinsed it, peeled it, cubed it, tossed it with olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted it for 30 minutes. Now what. Stew? Soup? Side dish? It felt like a soup night. Curry soup. I ran the idea, along with some other options, by the Good Apple and he picked up my vibe and said, "Curry soup".  I love when he picks up on these things. 
Ok, soup. Onion. Garlic. Ginger? Sure. Ginger. Curry. Stock. Something else? Yes, quinoa. We will make our way through the 7 lbs and it adds protein to the mix. Perfect. We are ready to go.
It was so fast, I wasn't able to get salads out in time. It was a bread and soup night and no one complained. For this, I was very thankful. The kids chowed, the Good Apple had two bowls full. 
Curry Butternut Squash and Quinoa Soup
Ingredients:

• Large Butternut Squash, peeled and cubed
• 2 cups prepared quinoa
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
• 1 tablespoon curry
• 6 cups of organic stock (vegetable or chicken)
• salt and pepper to taste
• optional: chopped chives, sour cream or creme fraiche

Directions Preheat oven to 375.

1. Place butternut squash cubes in a large bowl and mix with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and salt and pepper.
2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Fill cookie sheet with butternut squash cubes. Make sure to keep them in a single layer. Bake for 30 minutes. (If you don't have prepared quinoa at this point, this is the place to start it according to directions on the container)
3. In a Dutch Oven, heat up remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and ginger. Sauté for two minutes or until onions are translucent. Be careful to not burn your garlic or ginger.
4. Add curry and stir for 1 minute.
5. Add roasted butternut squash and stock and stir.
6. Using a hand mixer, give the soup 8-9 quick blasts to break up cubes, but do not puree (unless that is your thing).
7. Add quinoa and serve. This is great with a fresh green salad and warm bread.

Side note: When reheating leftovers, add more stock to bring it back to soup consistency. The quinoa will absorb any liquid you place with it.