Pumpkin Soup Recipe

Trick your children into eating more vegetables with this “pumpkin” soup recipe. You can use a combo of any winter squash available. I used acorn squash ( “green pumpkin”) and a red kuri squash, which I roasted for an hour then blended with coconut milk and a teaspoon of mellow curry paste. Curry paste can be replaced with the warm spice of cinnamon and nutmeg if your little ones veer towards the fussy.

1 small acorn squash
1 small red kuri squash or pumpkin
2 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt
1 can coconut milk (my mom tells me coconut oil is very beneficial for the skin and vital organs so I go with the full-fat kind)
1 tsp mild curry paste or curry powder to taste
OR 1/2 tsp cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg
1/4 cup cilantro
Hot Sesame Oil


Preheat stove to 400 degrees.

Slice each squash in half. Scoop out seeds and discard or clean and roast pumpkin seeds for a pepita topping (I’m too lazy).

Sprinkle half a tbsp of oil into each cavity and spread with clean fingers. Sprinkle with as much salt as you can handle (I’m such a fan of salt) and then place them, skin side down, onto a roasting pan and bake for about an hour (check after 45 minutes if squash are small).

When done cooking, let cool for a few minutes on the counter while you heat up coconut milk and curry in a large soup pot. Carefully remove flesh from the skin of the squash and place into coconut milk mixture. Add about two cups of water for a smooth texture. Turn heat off and have your children help puree soup with a hand-blender if you have the patience. Ladle into bowls and top with chopped cilantro. Dot adult soups with hot sesame oil, found in the Asian food isle.

Serve with goat cheese or cheddar cheese quesadillas.