Curried Pumpkin Soup

Halloween is around the corner. We love the fresh baked seeds and the kids love to carve. Are you wondering what to do with all the pumpkins?

Try this creamy, fall themed soup, and top with toasted pumpkin seeds.

Serves 6 to 8

5 cups beef  or vegetable stock or water

1 1/4 cup diced yellow onion
3/4 cup diced celery

1/2 teaspoon seeded and diced jalapeno

4 large garlic cloves
4 cups pumpkin, 1/2 inch chop
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, try toasting
2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk or almond milk. Homemade nut milk blog post. 

2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

1. Place the stock in a 3 quart pot over high heat. Add all of the ingredients except the milk and cilantro, and cook until the pumpkin is just soft, approximately 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the milk, carefully transfer to a blender, and blend until creamy.

3. Return to the pot, add the cilantro and cook for 5 minutes over medium low heat, stirring occasionally.

Variations

Replace the pumpkin with any squash such as butternut, acorn or buttercup.
Replace the curry powder with 2 teaspoons of chili powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of chipotle chili powder for a Mexican theme.

Nutritional info:

1) Curry contains turmeric, a root vegetable that fights inflammation and is great for natural pain relief.

2) Onions are great for detoxification. They help the liver process the toxins out of your body.

3) Pumpkin has plenty of vitamin A, C, and potassium. Pumpkin may lower blood sugar and LDL levels.

1.  Yoshinari O, Sato H, Igarashi K (2009). “Anti-diabetic effects of pumpkin and its components, trigonelline and nicotinic acid, on Goto-Kakizaki rats”. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 73 (5): 1033–41. doi:10.1271/bbb.80805. PMID 19420712. Retrieved 2 September 2012.