Recipe by Doug DiPasquale, Holistic Nutritionist.
Pumpkin is rich in beta carotene*, making it a perfect source of vitamin A. It also contains vitamin C, B vitamins and lots of trace minerals. The cinnamon in this soup, while acting as a delicious addition, also stimulates digestion by enhancing stomach acid and by increasing insulin activity meaning it helps with the body’s processing of sugars.
And don’t forget to hold on to the seeds for delicious Dried Pumpkin Seeds* (see recipe).
ingredients
directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pumpkin chunks in a deep pan and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until they are tender enough for a fork to slide in without resistance (depending on how large your pumpkin chunks are this could take anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes). Remove from oven and let cool.
Once cooled, remove the skin from the pumpkin chunks using a spoon or butter knife. Set aside.
Heat a 10L pot on the stove top on medium-high heat. Once hot add coconut oil and melt it so that it covers the bottom of the pot. Add onions, carrots and celery, stirring frequently. When vegetables have browned (about 5 minutes), add a little water to the pot to keep it from burning. Add garlic, pumpkin, salt and pepper.
Pour in enough water so that the vegetables are just covered. Add cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally and skimming any foam that appears on the surface.
Once boiled, turn the pot down to a simmer (low heat). Add nutmeg. Allow to simmer for ten minutes or so, stirring and occasionally. Because the pumpkin has already been cooked this step is really just to heat it through and allow the flavours to mingle.
After letting it simmer for 15 minutes or so, remove pot from heat. Remove cinnamon stick.
Using a hand-blender, blend the soup until no chunks remain. The consistency can be adjusted by adding more water if necessary. Add more salt if needed.
Enjoy.