Roasted Red Pepper and Pumpkin Soup

Photo: andrea devon

Ingredients

3 cups kabocha pumpkin, or other sweet squash, skinned and

1/2 cup shallots, sliced thinly

1/2 cup onions, sliced thinly

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 medium red peppers, diced

1 medium white potato, diced

2 tablespoons olive oil

pinch salt, pepper, nutmeg, and caye

2 tablespoons +1 tsp honey or agave

1 teaspoon handful of fresh sage leaves (about ¼ cup chopped), or dry rubbed sage

2 cups veg broth

1/4 cup soymilk (or other milk)

2 teaspoons sesame oil

Preparation

Skin and chop the pumpkin and the potato- the skin on kabocha is edible much like a potato, but would not be very tasty in the soup, i don’t think.

Add to a big pot with enough water to cover and boil for about 15-20 minutes (see note below).

While the pumpkin/potatoes are cooking, slice the shallots, onions, garlic, and red pepper and place in a big bowl.

Add the olive oil, salt, peppers, and 1 tsp honey and toss until veggies are well coated.

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes, then remove from oven and add the rest of the honey/agave and sage. toss again, and bake for another 5-10 minutes, until the sage is wilted.

When the veggies are finished cooking (pumpkin should be fork-soft, and the peppers and onions should be starting to blacken and sizzle!), add back to the big bowl with the 2 cups broth.

In small batches blend in your food processor until very smooth, then transfer to a cooking pot to simmer.

Add the soymilk and sesame oil, then bring blended soup to a simmer over medium heat, then turn to low and cook for 10 minutes to let the flavors meld. add more salt/pepper/cayenne to taste.

A note* this soup keeps for a few days in the fridge, and is great over rice, with leftover lentils, or with greens for a very tasty quick lunch.