Don't let the list of ingredients intimidate you. This is a fab dish that literally takes less than 30 minutes to make. It's sexy, it's unique, it will keep you coming back for more. Entice your holiday guests with this sassy, seductive, pumpkin soup. It has the perfect blend of sweet, smokey, and savory! It's to die for!
INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 medium yellow onion, small diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small can of chipotle peppers – use a ½ teaspoon at a time
2 (8 oounce) cans of pumpkin
2-3 cups of cashew or almond milk
1 tablespoon of real maple syrup or 1 teaspoon of truvia/monkfruit
1-2 teaspoons of Himalayan salt, divided
½ teaspoon of black pepper
1 cup of raw pumpkin seeds
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of chili powder
1 teaspoon of olive oil
1 package of bacon
2 green onions, chopped
1 small bag of spinach, chiffonade
1 small lemon
Cooking spray
METHOD
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spray 2 sheet pans with cooking spray.
Toss the pumpkin seeds with cinnamon, chili powder, a pinch of Himalayan salt, and olive oil in a bowl. Place the pumpkin seeds on one of the sprayed sheet pans. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Line the bacon slices on the other sprayed sheet pan. Bake in oven 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven, dry the bacon on paper towels, and allow them to cool down for a few minutes. Chop bacon into small pieces. Set aside in a bowl.
Chop the yellow onion, garlic, green onions, and spinach as listed above. Set aside.
Place a medium stock/soup pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Once the pan gets hot add the coconut oil. Allow the coconut oil to melt and spread on the surface of the pan. Once the oil starts to “dance” add the yellow onion and garlic, sauté. Stir constantly so the garlic doesn’t burn. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Add a pinch of salt, pepper, and a ½ teaspoon of chipotle pepper sauce (not the actual pepper) while you are stirring the onion and garlic. Taste the heat level of the chipotle pepper. Feel free to add a little more to bring it to your comfortable level of spice. Keep in mind that chipotle pepper is very spicy, a little bit goes a long way! Saute until the garlic and onion become fragrant and translucent.
Add the 2 cups of cashew milk. Add another pinch of salt, pepper, and chipotle pepper if need be. Once the milk starts to simmer, add the pumpkin.
Now would be a good opportunity to use a whisk in order to break up the pumpkin so it can blend evenly with the milk. Keep whisking until the pumpkin and milk combine evenly. You may have to add a ¼ cup of milk at a time to keep the consistency smooth and not clumpy. We want to reach a smooth and creamy consistency - thicker than heavy cream, but thinner than pudding – right in the middle. Add 1 teaspoon of Himalayan salt, ½ teaspoon of black pepper, and ½ teaspoon of the chipotle sauce.
Allow soup to come to boil and take off the heat. Add a little more salt, pepper, and chipotle sauce to taste.
Once soup is off the heat, add zest and juice of one lemon.
Separate soup evenly into bowls and garnish with bacon, spiced pumpkin seed, spinach, and green onion. After garnishing, you will have leftover spinach, green onion, and bacon - feel free to make a side salad with these ingredients.