Happiness is Homemade Soup

As promised, a new recipe will be posted every day until Thanksgiving. Hopefully this will give you some ideas on what you can make for your Turkey dinner or how you can use some of your leftovers to plan some meals for the rest of the week. 

I seriously can never have too much pumpkin and love this time of year. I'm one of those people who refuses to switch to Christmas flavors (if there is such a thing) until after Thanksgiving. And honestly...who says you have to stop eating pumpkin come December!?!? I don't think it's a rule or anything so consume as much pumpkin as you want, whenever you want.

This next recipe is used in the SB Whole Foods Cleanse and is one of my favorite fall soups, not just because of the pumpkin, but it is loaded with flavor. 

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients:

1 small pumpkin (about 3 - 5 pounds)

2 tablespoons coconut oil, divided

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 medium parsnips, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

1 teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon dried sage

½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

¼ teaspoon chile powder

3 cups vegetable stock

Sea salt to taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut pumpkin in half, removing the top stem and scooping out the seeds. Rub coconut oil on a baking sheet and lay cut side of pumpkin face-down. Roast for about 35 minutes, until pumpkin is tender and can easily be pierced with a fork.

Let pumpkin cool and then remove the flesh (about 3 cups). Discard the skin.

Meanwhile, add the remaining tablespoon of coconut oil to a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, parsnips, carrots, garlic, and ginger and saute for about 10 minutes, until onions are translucent and vegetables are starting to become tender.

Add the pumpkin flesh, thyme, sage, pumpkin pie spice, chile powder, and stock. Bring to a boil and then lower heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Blend the soup using an immersion blender or transferring it to a regular blender (I used my Vitamix). If using a regular blender, be very careful as the steam can sometimes cause the lid to blow off. I recommend allowing the soup to cool for a few minutes, and then blending in small batches on medium/high speed while holding the lid down.

Add salt to taste and serve. Garnish with fresh herbs, roasted pumpkin seeds, or a drizzle of coconut milk.

Don't forget to check back tomorrow for another healthy, fall recipe!

Have an awesome weekend. Don't forget to take some time for yourself, relax, go to brunch, drink coffee with friends, sweat a little and most importantly enjoy this beautiful fall weather!

Emily