Caribbean Pepper Pot Soup

Description
A nicely spiced vegetable soup that is hearty enough to be a meal. It has an island flavor from the coconut that is slightly sweet with just a touch of herbs.

Ingredients

 * 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
 * 2 onions, finely chopped
 * 3 cloves garlic, minced
 * 1 tablespoon minced ginger
 * 2 tablespoons chili powder
 * 1 Scotch bonnet peppers or habanero peppers, seeded and minced
 * 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
 * 1 teaspoon celery seeds
 * 1 teaspoon salt
 * 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
 * 1 tablespoon brown sugar
 * 4 cups acorn squash or butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes or carrots, peeled and diced
 * 1 (16 ounces) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
 * 1 (28 ounces) can whole tomatoes, chopped,including juice
 * 4 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
 * 1 (14 ounces) can unsweetened coconut milk
 * ¼ cup chopped cilantro

Directions

 * 1) Cook onions in oil in a skillet until tender.
 * 2) Place onions in crockpot along with garlic, ginger, chili powder, Scotch bonnet, coriander, celery seeds, salt, pepper, sugar, squash (or carrots), kidney beans, tomatoes and stock.
 * 3) Stir to mix well.
 * 4) Cover and cook on low for 8–10 hours or on high for 4–6 hours or until vegetables are tender.
 * 5) Add coconut milk and stir well.
 * 6) Set crockpot to high and cook for 15–20 minutes more.
 * 7) Garnish with cilantro before serving.