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Perfect Pumpkin…

Laurena@LifeDietHealth

Perfect Pumpkin…

Everyone has pumpkins on their blogs! Pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin costumes, pumpkin carvings, pumpkin pancakes even pumpkin truffles! So, seems though it’s the season for them and I don’t have any pumpkin recipes on my blog yet, I thought I’d have a play and see what I could come up with!

When I was much younger and lived at home, my elder brother decided that our hollowed out pumpkin should go in the microwave! I’m not sure how long it went in for but let’s just say our Mum was not best pleased!!! All I recall is my brother feeding me lumps of orange goo which tasted of cheese! Now I’m not suggesting for a minute that you should replicate that age old experiment, but cheesy? Does pumpkin taste cheesy? Could I make something pumpkiny and cheesy?

Today I was with my sister’s and their children (not a regular occurrence due to the distances we live apart) and we went to a wonderful farm shop complete with pumpkin patch! Okay so I was told that about 1200 pumpkins have already been sold off this patch so it wasn’t as full as we’d like, but nonetheless we could pick our own pumpkin! ☺

I will experiment some more (especially as the pumpkin cookies disappeared without a hint of a photo), but here is an easy recipe to start with… pumpkin soup! Dress it up, dress it down, spice it up or use mild herbs. It’s very easy (once you can get to the pumpkin flesh) to cook this smooth creamy seasonal soup… yumyum. I’m sharing this week with Deborah at the Plant Based Potluck Party and with Mary Ellen & Kimmy at Healthy Vegan Fridays.

Pumpkin Soup (vegan & Free-From)

  • Servings: 5-6
  • Difficulty: easy
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Gather

  • Oil of choice (we use coconut oil)
  • 1 leek or onion roughly chopped
  • 2-3 garlic cloves chopped
  • 1 medium pumpkin (flesh only) chopped
  • 500ml – 1 litre boiling water
  • Salt to taste
  • Herbs & spices (we used paprika, chili flakes & nutmeg)

Prepare

  1. Gently heat the oil and add the leek or onion. Cook until browning. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.
  2. Add the pumpkin chunks, stir to combine, cover and allow to sweat for five minutes.
  3. Remove the lid, stir, then carefully add boiling water until it just covers everything. Put the lid back on and leave for fifteen to twenty minutes. Remove from heat.
  4. Blend the soup with a stick blender until perfectly smooth. Return to heat.
  5. Season with salt and spices. Taste test and adjust as necessary.
  6. Enjoy!

Serve & Store

  • Serve with your favourite bread or throw some crunchy croutons on top.
  • Add some fresh leaves just before serving – try rocket, lambs lettuce or pea shoots.
  • Hollow out another pumpkin and use as a serving dish.
  • Throw a handful of seeds on top and dress with a flavoured oil.
  • Add a splash of milk or a dollop of cream to make it extra smooth and silky.
  • Why not add a handful of sweetcorn or peas after blending.
  • For extra protein, at stage three add half a cup of split red lentils.
  • Store refrigerated for up to three days.

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