It's Pumpkin Time

With Halloween just around the corner and the fall chill in the air I started making soups again.  Now I love soups and I am actually good at making soup if you can believe that.  It just so happened that I had a pumpkin who took a little spill at work and cracked open.  Hmmmm, now I am forced ;-) to make something with this pumpkin for it cannot go to waste.  With that being said my soup craze kicked off.  I visualized, I pondered and ended up making Thai Pumpkin Soup.  I shared with a few daring folks (apparently the name just doesn't strike people as appealing) and everyone raved about it.  So come on, it is good for you, is cheap and easy to make and best of all it is very filling.  Here is what you will need to get

 1 shallot
2 or 3 Thai chilis
Ginger
4 or 5 Garlic cloves
1 pumpkin
3 cans coconut milk
2 cups vegetable stock
Cilantro
2 TB mushroom-flavored soy sauce
1 Lemongrass stalk
3 Kafir lime leaves

All I did was cut the pumpkin in half and roast it to soften the insides.  It doesn't have to be completely cooked through.  Scoop out the insides into a crock pot or soup pot.  Add all wet ingredients, maybe even a little salt and pepper if desired.  In a skillet I took the ginger, chilis, garlic and shallot coarsely chopped and sauteed them in a little olive oil.  Then I put them into my food processor and chopped finely.  Added all the rest of the goodies into the crock pot and put the lid on.  Came home to a wonderful aroma and a delicious healthy soup.  

P.S.  I did puree the soup afterwards in my food processor, but some preferred it chunkier.  

Today I am going to be working on a chicken vegetable soup.  It is still chilly out there.  However, I must get to cleaning my house and then off to take some fall pictures.  Have a fabulous day folks.  Happy cooking!