Spicy Caribbean Soup with Rice

I've made this soup twice now and loved it, so thought it was worthwhile to share here after we had it for lunch today! It was originally found on a cookinglight forum, but I did make some adjustments to it to make it a little healthier (olive oil instead of butter and less of it, brown rice instead of white). It works out to about 280 calories/serving with my adjustments instead of the 360 the original recipe cited. It also reheats well!

Spicy Caribbean Soup with Rice

Ingredients:
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 TB olive oil
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground allspiace
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups cubed raw butternut squash (any type of winter squash could be used)
2 cups cooked chicken cubes (I used 1 1/2 chicken breasts, cut up and cooked in a nonstick pan before going in the soup, but last time I used leftover chicken from a rotisserie chicken)
3 cups cooked brown rice
cilantro for garnish (optional)
red pepper flakes for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Saute onions and garlic for a few minutes to soften
2. Add bay leaf, pepper flakes, coriander, allspice, salt, black pepper and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered 10-15 minutes
3. Add squash, simmer covered 10-15 minutes until squash is tender but still slightly firm. Remove bay leaf.
4. Reserve 1 cup squash cubes. Puree remaining mixture (I put in my blender but if you have an immersion blender, go for it!). 
5. Return reserved squash and pureed mixture to pot. Stir in chicken and cook until thoroughly heated.
6. Put 1/2 cup brown rice into each soup bowl and ladle soup on top of it. Garnish with cilantro and pepper flakes (optional).

I served with a slice of toasted whole grain bread with a bit of swiss cheese melted on it. yum!

Nutrition:

Per serving: 288 calories, 6.5g fat, 35mg cholesterol, 179mg sodium, 40g carbs, 6.4g fiber, 18g protein