Pumpkin & Pomegranate

Saturday night we wanted something warm and filling. We got a bit of a late start due to me thinking football would last longer, and so I took my time in the shower. By the time I got to Matt’s around 9pm he was ready for dinner. Luckily he is a man who loves his vegetables (and loves soup in particular) so he was game for me basically just throwing stuff into a pot. I did, and this was the end result.  I call it “Autumn Fiesta” as it looks like a party in that pot ;-) This is how it happened. I wanted to have soup spiced with Mexican spices. I wanted to use my kabocha squash. After that I had little care what went it, so basically we wandered through the produce department and just grabbed items we liked. Soup is one of the easiest things in the world to make, you can pretty much just throw whatever veggie you want to into the soup (with very few exceptions).

Autumn Fiesta Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 Large Onion, chopped
• 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
• Virgin Coconut Oil
• 1 Pimento Pepper, diced (optional)
• 1 Manzano Orange Pepper, (optional, very hot)
• 1.5 T.  Chile Powder
• 1 tsp. Cumin seeds
• 1/2 Large Kabocha Squash, peeled and cubed (about 4 cups)
• 1 Large Rutabaga, cubed (about 2 cups)
• 1 Large Carrot,diced
• 1 Small Cauliflower, cut into bite sized chunks
• 1 Quart Vegetable stock
• 2 Zucchini, sliced
• 1 28 oz. Can Diced Tomatoes (with Juice)
• 2 15 oz. Cans Black Beans
• 1 Bunch Kale, cleaned and chopped

Method:

1. Sautée the onion and garlic in virgin coconut oil until the onion is translucent, add the peppers and spices and continue to sautée for another 2 minutes, stirring often.
2. Once the spices get aromatic, toss in the kabocha and rutabaga cubes, cover and sautée for about 5 minutes, stirring often making sure not to burn.
3. Add the carrot and cauliflower and sautée for another 2 minutes. then cover with vegetable stock and bring to a boil.
4. Toss in the zucchini slices and the canned tomatoes. reduce the heat and simmer until the rutabaga and kabocha are nearly tender.
5. When all is nearly done, pour in the black beans and stir in the kale. Cook until kale is wilted, but still bright green.

Matt topped his with some Tofutti Sour Supreme, and wished he had an avocado sliced on top.