Love for Food

It's been bitterly cold in New York City and the past few weeks I have been eating a lot of soups. Soups are also great this time of year when I am always trying to eat a little healthier to balance those holiday goodies. The addition of the mashed squash makes this dish easy (comes frozen) and also adds some thickness to the broth. The small amount of orange zest is really noticeable. I could see this soup as a summer or spring soup but it's hearty enough for a filling winter meal.
Ingredients: Serves Six
1 tablespoon olive oil1 cup chopped onion 3 (4-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper 1 1/2 cups mashed butternut squash 2 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste 4 cups chicken broth 1/3 cup uncooked couscous 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced into 3/4-inch pieces 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil 2 teaspoons grated orange rindMethod:

• Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add chicken; cook for 4 minutes, browning on all sides. A
• dd cumin, cinnamon, and pepper to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Add butternut squash and tomato paste; cook 1 minute.
• Stir in Chicken Stock, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes.
• Stir in couscous, salt, and zucchini; cook 5 minutes or until squash is tender. Remove pan from heat. Stir in chopped basil and orange rind.