Southwest Pumpkin Soup

This recipe was inspired by a soup made on Rachel Ray’s cooking show over 15 years ago! Over the years I’ve made some tweaks to the soup, which includes making it vegan, by swapping the heavy cream in the original recipe with full-fat coconut milk. If you prefer, you can omit the coconut milk completely to make a delicious, very low-fat soup. It’s totally up to you, but I highly recommend including the coconut milk. It adds a velvety creaminess that compliments the heat of the cayenne and the tang of the lime juice so nicely. Originally Rachel Ray served her soup with cheese quesadilla slices. If you would like to do the same but are looking for a healthier, plant-based alternative, here’s my quesadilla recipe HERE.

Southwest Pumpkin Soup - Serves 6

• 2, 15oz cans of 100% pure pumpkin puree ( not pumpkin pie mix )

• 4 cups vegetable broth

• 1 cup full-fat coconut milk

• 1 large yellow onion, diced

• 1, 14.5 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained

• 1, 14.5 oz can of roasted diced tomatoes ( including liquid )

• 1.5 Tb curry powder

• 1.5 tsp cumin powder

• 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper ( salt with 1/4 tsp and then check the heat level at the end before adding more )

• Juice of one lime

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp black pepper

• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro ( optional )

To Prepare

*In a large pot over medium-high heat, saute diced onion in a couple of Tbs of water ( or 1 Tb of olive oil ) until translucent ( approximately 5-7 minutes ). Add curry powder, cumin powder, and cayenne powder to the onion and saute for another 30 seconds to lightly toast the spices. Careful not to burn.

*Add remaining ingredients ( except the cilantro ) and bring soup to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the freshly chopped cilantro. Now, taste the soup and adjust salt, pepper, cayenne and/or lime juice if needed.

To serve

Distribute soup into shallow serving bowls. Topping suggestions include baked corn tortilla strips, chopped cilantro, chopped chives, THESE spicy pumpkin seeds, and/or a dollop of vegan sour cream ( sour cream recipe is under my dips/sauces )

This recipe freezes well if anyone is interested!

Healthy Pumpkin Waffles

Happy October! Unfortunately, we don’t see much of a seasonal change out here in Hawaii but I gotta admit that I absolutely live for fall ( and especially winter ) in the islands. Temps start to drop a bit, white ginger is in full bloom and the surf starts to pick up big time. It’s magical.

As much as I love fall decor, it always seems a bit out of place in our lit’ tropical bungalow. So instead of spending money on ceramic pumpkins and fall-themed wreaths, I invest in my fall pantry. Squash, pears, apples, persimmons, pomegranates, dates, and sweet potatoes turn into my go-to ingredients. I tend to bake more, roast more, and overall eat more “cooked foods” during this time of the year as well. Because honestly, who wants to heat up the oven during a hot Hawaiian summer? Um, not me.

So here’s my first simple recipe of the season: Super healthy pumpkin waffles! I used oat flour here. You can buy oat flour in the grocery store but honestly, you can just make it yourself. I actually make a huge batch of it ahead of time and store it in my pantry. Just add quick oats to a highspeed blender and blend until you get a fine powder. So easy.

I purchased this cute little waffle maker at Target for like $10! However, if you are making several waffles at a time, I would purchase something larger. The waffles take about 5-6 minutes to bake so you don’t want them getting cold if you are making a larger batch.

Healthy Pumpkin Waffles - makes 3 mini waffles, feel free to double or triple recipe. Use 1/4 cup of batter per waffle.

• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tb oat flour

• 1/2 cup nut milk ( I used almond )

• 1/4 cup 100% pumpkin puree

• 1 Tb coconut sugar

• 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

*Add all ingredients to a highspeed blender and then blend until well combined. To make a mini waffle, use 1/4 cup of the batter and cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions. A cooking spray might be needed. I used avocado oil. Cooking time is approximately 5-6 mins.