Southwestern Pumpkin Soup
 

I adapted this recipe from one at the Bon Appetit website (it called for a cup of whipping cream)... Anyway, I had it for lunch today and it was mildly spicy, warming and filling. Thought I'd share:

3 cups low fat, low sodium chicken broth (I used four)
1 cup 2% milk
1 15-oz can pure pumpkin
2 Tbs dark brown sugar
1 tsp gound cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (I didn't use this)
Chopped fresh cilantro

Bring chicken stock and milk to a boil in a heavy medium pot. Whisk in canned pumpkin, brown, sugar, cumin, chili powder, coriander and nutmeg. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until soup thickens slightly and flavours blend, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish each serving with cheddar cheese and cilantro and serve.

This made eight 1-cup servings, and Fitday says the broth, milk, brown sugar and pumpkin comes out at 42 cals per cup. Not bad!

That sounds so yummy. I absolutely love pumpkin soup.

In your opinion, was the brown sugar totally necessary? I don't like to eat much added sugar.

Thanks in advance! :)

Hi Esperanza, I tasted it before adding the sugar (because I was planning on leaving it out) but, for my taste, it DID need the sugar. It definitely added a little something to the flavour. The original recipe called for 3 Tbs, but 2 seemed to do the trick.

I am beginning to love fall and all the tastes with it.... would you serve this alone or with something? If serving with something..... what?

Is it a sweet soup or not?

Sorry for the questions, but this maybe something I want to do tonight for supper.

Hi Ladyrider, I ate it for lunch with nothing but a a sprinkle of feta cheese on top, but I think for supper you might want to serve it with a sandwich or a wrap or something. It's not sweet at all, but the combination of spices give it a very warming sort of feel.

Thank you so much! I am going to try it for supper!

That kind of reminds me of this soup recipe I ran into recently:
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/01...-garlicky.html
Mexican Pumpkin Soup

1 large onion chopped
4-5 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups pureed cooked pumpkin or 1 cup canned pumpkin
1 16-ounce can chili beans
1 tbsp. seeded diced jalapeño
5 medium red potatoes, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tablespoons oregano
pinch of cayenne or other red pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/3 cup soy milk
salt, to taste
cilantro or parsley

Heat a large pot. Sauté most of the onions (reserve a few for garnish) over medium heat until they soften; add garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add in the broth, pumpkin, chili beans, jalapeño, and potatoes. Stir in the oregano, cayenne, and cumin. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer.

Simmer for about 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in the soy milk, add salt to taste, and serve immediately garnished with cilantro or parsley and onion (and extra diced jalapeño, if desired).

Note: I wanted to use plain pinto beans in this, but I was all out. If you use pinto beans instead of the chili beans, increase the seasonings and add some chili powder.

Mmm, Nelie, that looks good! It's going in my "to try" file.