SQUASH & CARDAMON SOUP.

 Before I start I would like to say how much respect I have for the foody bloggers out there. Cooking and photographing at the same time is really bloody hard. It took me ages – I even contemplated a nap half way through the process. Hats off to you, ladies and gents.That being said, since 2015 rolled around I’ve tried to introduce my body to a healthier lifestyle - and a huge part of that has been Abel and Cole. A purely organic, locally sourced fruit, meat and veg supplier who deliver boxes of goodness to your doorstep on a weekly basis. My delivery driver, Bryan (yeah you heard me right, you have the same driver every week!) delivers me a Superb Souping Box which contains 3 recipes worth of ingredients (including seasoning) to rustle up a weeks’ worth of lunches, aka. soups. To say it’s the highlight of my Tuesday wouldn’t be a lie and I’m not ashamed that my life now heavily relies on happiness in vegetable form. For £12.50 a box it's great value for money and you can choose how often you'd like it delivered - be it weekly like me or perhaps fortnightly. Affordable and good for you don't usually sit in the same sentence, but Abel and Cole have it going on.So...I thought it would be quite nice to share a few recipes here and there – I’m absolutely no domestic goddess, cooking is not second nature to me, so these posts will mainly be here just to show how simple, quick and easy it can be to make your own (really frickin’ good) food.Today? We’re making Roast Butternut Squash and Cardamom Soup.You'll need:Ingredients:2 Small Squash1 Can of Coconut Milk150ml of water / stock1 Lime – Juice and Zest1 Bulb of Garlic3 Cardamom seedsDash of Olive OilPinch of Salt and PepperOven 190 degreesAnd here's how you make it:Take the tops and bottoms off your squash and cut each in to quarters, scoop out the seeds and put them to one side.Next grab your garlic, peel off the papery layer and using a sharp knife chop about 1cm off the pointed end. Pop both the squash and the garlic on a baking tray, season with salt and pepper and a dash of olive oil.Place in the oven for 30 minutes at 200 degrees/Gas mark 6.Whilst those babies are cooking grab your cardamom pods, bash them with the bottom of your knife and release the little seeds. Use a pestle and mortar (if you have one) or like me, the bottom of a glass to crush the seeds in to a powdery form - then slice your lime.Wash up what you can whilst you’re waiting and then grab your garlic out of the oven – it should be soft to the touch. Leave it on the side to cool slightly and put the squash back in until it’s super squidgy (it shouldn’t need more than an extra 20 minutes).Using a spoon, scoop out the squash from its skin. Now, this is the point where if you have one you can chuck everything in a blender - mine broke, so I’m going for a big pot and a hand held blender stick!Once you’ve done that pour in your coconut milk (don’t worry if it’s slightly solidified, it will break down really easily), your crushed cardamom and lime juice. Blend until smooth then add in your water/stock – I used vegetable stock in mine. Blend it all up again and hey presto – YOU’RE DONE! Make sure you give it a little taste and add extra seasoning if you need it, perhaps another cardamom pod if needs be.It makes me 3 really generous portions and tastes SO good.If you give this recipe a whirl, share your snaps using #CookingWithMegs on social channels – I’d love to see your results!Also - If you're interested in finding out more about Abel and Cole you can visit their website here and you can also follow this link to view the Superb Souping Box I have delivered weekly!I'd love to know your thoughts on this type of post from me and whether it's something you'd like to see more regularly? :-)Happy Souping!