Cream of Pumpkin Soup

On a chilly fall day, my favorite thing to do is make a delicious hearty soup, and then curl up on the couch with a book and bowl of soup. So here's my latest favorite... Cream of Pumpkin Soup! With lots of chopped veggies and a little bit of cashew butter, this dish is the perfect combo of creamy and chunky.   

Ingredients:

3 carrot, diced

½ yellow onion, diced

3 stalks of celery, diced

4 c vegetable stock or water

3 red potatoes, diced

1 c boiling water

¼ c cashew butter (or another nut butter)

2 c pumpkin puree

2 dried bay leaves

1 heaping tsp garlic granules

1 heaping tsp sage

¾ tsp rosemary

½ tsp thyme

1 can northern beans, rinsed

2 c curly kale

toasted pumpkin seeds, for garnish

black pepper to taste

Directions:
Start by deciding whether you want to use fresh or canned pumpkin. If using fresh pumpkin, start with seeding the pumpkin and chopping it up. Put a steam basket into a large pot filled with about 2 inches of water. Add the diced pumpkin to the steam basket and put the lid on the pot. The heat should be a little over medium. After 10-15 minutes, poke the pumpkin with a fork to see if it's tender. When the pumpkin is fully cooked remove from heat. Transfer the pumpkin to a food processor and puree it to an even consistency. Whether making the pumpkin puree or using canned pumpkin, set it aside until it's called for a little bit later.

In a large pot with the lid on, sweat the carrots, onion, and celery over medium heat, until the onions are translucent. Stir frequently. Then add the vegetable stock or water to the pot, along with the diced potatoes and turn up the heat to med-high. Once the water reaches a boil, reduce heat so that water simmers.

Now stir bay leaf and herbs into soup. In a separate bowl, combine 1 cup of very hot water with the cashew butter. Whisk it together until there’s a fairly even consistency. Stir cashew blend and the pumpkin puree into the soup pot. Make sure the soup is mixed well.

Once the potatoes are almost fully cooked, add the chopped kale and the beans. Wait 10 more minutes. The potatoes and kale should be fully cooked. Serve warm, and sprinkled with pumpkin seeds and freshly ground black pepper.

Serves: 4-6