Curried Pumpkin Soup for Halloween

I make this recipe for vegetarian Curried Pumpkin Soup every Halloween. I sometimes make it throughout the year as well, for as long as my store of frozen pumpkin holds out. Of course, you can make this soup using canned pumpkin if you would prefer. It is easier that way and if you are making it during a season other than autumn, it could be your only choice.

This soup is low fat, low calorie and heart healthy. It's also very good.

If you want to make it richer, that's easily done. Just use cream or partial cream instead of skimmed milk.

This is a great way to use up left over pumpkin. And, if you still have more pumpkin, don't forget that there are pies, muffins, cakes, breads, casseroles and other great recipe ideas.

Why serve your Halloween soup in a regular soup bowl? Use this brightly colored pumpkin soup tureen to brighten up your table. The great thing and this tureen is that its use is not limited to Halloween. It works for any fall or Thanksgiving recipe, or use it year round if you like. I think it could easily do double duty as a cookie jar at any time of the year.

Ingredients

6 cups of cooked pumpkin, chopped into pieces

2 cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped

2 onions, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tablespoon grated, fresh ginger

4 cups of chicken stock OR 4 chicken bouillon cubes and 4 cups of water

2 cups of skim milk

water as needed

red pepper flakes to taste

2 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 tsp ground coriander

Salt and pepper to taste

Brown sugar to taste (optional)

Plain yogurt (optional)

Preparation

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a large soup kettle. When hot add the crushed, chopped garlic and stir until the garlic is fragrant. This takes about ten seconds. Add the onion and brown. Add additional olive oil as necessary. Add all other ingredients EXCEPT the skim milk or yogurt. Add as much water as needed to cover. Cover, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about twenty minutes. Turn off heat and allow to cool in pot.

Using a hand held blender (my favorite) or a stand alone blender, puree the soup until smooth. Add the skim milk at this time, and add more water if the soup is too thick.

Taste and adjust seasonings to suit your preference.

To serve, reheat. Add a dollop of plain yoghurt on top.

This soup is excellent with whole grain buns or crackers.

As written, the recipe is low fat, low calorie and heart healthy.

If desired, you can replace the skim milk with cream, or use half cream and half milk.

To make this soup vegan, make two substitutions:

1. Use vegetable broth in lieu of chicken stock or meat stock

2. Use almond milk or coconut milk in lieu of dairy milk