Squash and Fish Soup...who knew it would be so good?

I know I've said it before, but I love soup!  And I love squash.  However, when I found this recipe in The Hamilton Spectator I wasn't really sure how great it would be.  I knew that I would like it, but wasn't prepared for the feeling of love that overcame me when I took my first bite.  It was so flavourful, with some spiciness and a hint of sweetness.  And it doesn't really have a lot of ingredients in it, mostly spices.  Actually, the whole reason I ended up making it ahead of the like 100 other soups I want to make, is that I actually had all the ingredients on hand.  I love it when that happens!  Especially when my hubby is out of town and I would have had to walk or bus to the grocery store.  Which sucks.  (And yes, I realize I should get my license.)  I love the beautiful colour of the soup too, it's perfect for fall, and with the rice and fish in it, it's actually pretty filling.  

Although the recipe calls for haddock or cod, I used Tilapia that I had in my freezer.  I prefer using frozen fish for soups because if you just thaw the fillets halfway by running cold water over them they are a lot easier to chop up than fresh fillets.  And it's convenient to have some frozen fish in your freezer.  The squash that I used for the soup was an acorn squash, it was a little over 2 cups worth once I had it peeled and chopped.  I realize that the recipe calls it a chowder, but when I think of a chowder I think of it as being cream/milk based, and this is not, so...I call it soup.

Chilean Fish Chowder

2 tbsp olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 cup long-grain white rice

2 lbs squash or pumpkin, peeled and diced

4 cups fish, vegetable, or chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1 lb (450g) skinless haddock or cod fillets, cut into chunks

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

In a large pot heat oil over med-high heat.  Add onions and cook for 5 minutes.  Add spices and pepper flakes, cook, stirring for 1  minute.  Add rice and squash.  Stir in broth and bay leaves, scraping any burnt bits from bottom of pot.  Cover and let simmer, stirring often, for 20 minutes.  Add fish, and cook covered for 10 minutes (or until fish is opaque).  Sprinkle with parsley.  Enjoy!

And since I have the nutritional information, I'll add it too:

Per 1 serving (1/4 of recipe)...

290 calories

6 g. fat

21 g. protein

42 g. carbohydrates

3 g. fibre

*Update: I just made this again but since I had half a cauliflower in my fridge, I chopped it up and added it too.  It tasted just as delicious, but it was even healthier since it had more veggies in it.  Vegetables make me happy:)