Welcome to Thrive in the Kitchen, our monthly cooking series focused on easy recipes that promote overall health and wellness for people living with cancer.
This month, our team shows you how to make a delicious Butternut Squash Bisque. This healthy dish is an excellent source of vitamin C and beta-carotene. Rich in antioxidants, butternut squash is a "superfood" that helps prevent cellular damage, reduces inflammation and lowers your risk of some chronic diseases, including cancer. Adding pumpkin seeds, or pepitas, gives the bisque a boost of vitamins such as iron and manganese.
Now, let's get cooking with Thrive in the Kitchen.
Butternut Squash Bisque
Yields size: 4 servings, 12 ounces each
Total prep & cook time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Ingredients
1 large butternut squash
2 cups vegetable stock
1 stalk of celery, chopped
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tbsp garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp yellow onion, peeled and rough chopped
1 cup apples, cored and chopped with skin on
1 tbsp red curry paste
1 cup coconut milk
1 tsp kosher salt
¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds
Preparation
Squash: Cut 1 large butternut squash in half, length-wise. Leave the peel on. Remove the seeds from the butternut squash, and discard them. Place the squash with the skin facing down on a cookie sheet or baking dish. Roast at 400 degrees for approximately 45 minutes, or until soft and fork tender. Remove the tray from the oven, and let it cool. Then, remove the skin, and chop the squash into cubes. Drizzle the squash with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Put the tray with the cubed squash back into the oven and roast at 400 degrees for an additional 18-20 minutes.
Bisque: Add the prepared squash and all of the remaining ingredients to a large pot or Dutch oven, bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat and cook for 10 minutes. Using a blender, carefully blend all items thoroughly until smooth, and serve. Divide between 2 bowls, and garnish each bowl with ½ of the pumpkin seeds.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 12 ounces
Calories: 300
Fat: 20 grams
Sodium: 570 milligrams
Carbohydrates: 24 grams
Protein: 7 grams
What is “Thrive in the Kitchen”?
Sarasota Memorial’s Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute works to ensure cancer patients and their loved ones receive the caring support and effective tools they need. Among those tools is Thrive in the Kitchen, a monthly video cooking series spotlighting easy recipes designed to support overall health and wellness for cancer patients. Each recipe is custom created by Sarasota Memorial's executive chef and registered dietician team. The series is part of the Cancer Institute's Thrive Integrated Cancer program, which offers oncology-specific wellness classes, rehabilitation, nutrition, counseling and other services for those living with cancer. For more information on our Thrive program, call 941-917-7827 or visit smh.com/thrive.