Rainbow Pumpkin Soup:
This is everybody’s favorite soup as it combines subtle sweetness, divine creaminess with a tantalizing rainbow of veggies. One client simply called it “the soup” and when he wanted to impress his friends he would ask me to make them “the soup”. I like to use a nice pumpkin when they’re in season, but my favorite might be kabocha squash as it has such a a sweet taste and creamy consistency. The most difficult part of making this soup is actually peeling the squash – I’ll try to post a video of that process soon as once it’s peeled, the rest is a breeze. You can also use a butternut squash or I have even added in some garnet yam to add to the sweetness.
I small pumpkin or kabocha squash
1 onion
1 Tbs. avocado or coconut oil
1 carrot
2 sticks. Celery
1 teaspoon sea salt or Herbamare
1 tsp. lime zest
½ tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. turmeric
1 cup corn kernels
1 can full fat coconut milk
Fresh cilantro or parsley
Lime juice
PREP: Cut squash or pumpkin in half and remove seeds. Peel and dice. Small dice the onion, carrot and celery. Zest the lime and cut enough thin slices to garnish each bowl. Squeeze the juice from the rest of the lime. Measure out your spices.
MAIN ACT: Heat oil in a saucepan and add the onion and spices. Saute for a minute then add the carrot and celery and saute for another minute or so. Add the squash and about 4 cups of water and the sea salt or herbamare. Bring to a rolling boil, turn down the heat and put a lid on the pot. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the corn kernels, coconut milk and whisk to break up the squash – this forms a nice creamy base for the soup. Taste test and add more salt if you like. Continue to simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the lime juice and parsley or cilantro.
Serve topped with a slice of lime.
VARIATIONS:
You can use different veggies – small diced zucchini, leek, cauliflower all work.
You can add in some cooked garbanzo beans for additional protein – you could serve it with a scoop of rice added for a simple meal.
Other spices can be used – I like to add some minced fresh ginger and if you like it spicy you can add some finely minced chilli or chilli flakes. You could also use a Thai curry paste or an Indian curry powder.
Lemon can be used in place of the lime. I also like to add a splash of umeboshi plum vinegar for added flavor.