Ginger-Pumpkin Soup with Coconut Cream

Today, I was looking through my cabinets trying to figure out what I could make with a can of pumpkin. I was in a pumpkin kinda mood all morning, as today is Halloween and it's fall and my favorite holiday involving all things pumpkin is up next- Thanksgiving! A quick Pinterest search brought up some amazing results. I decided on soup, but I didn't have all the ingredients I needed, so I adapted a pumpkin soup from a fellow blogger and I wanted to share my version of the soup below. Original recipe can be found HERE and was created by Katie Shields of the Honestly Nourished Blog.

Ginger-Pumpkin Soup w/Coconut Cream

Serves: 4 | Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 30-45 minutes 

Gluten free, Dairy free,  Paleo

INGREDIENTS //

1 tbs coconut oil

2 organic carrots, peeled and chopped
2  parsnips, peeled and chopped

4 organic celery sticks, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 tbs freshly grated ginger root

2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 BPA-free cans organic pumpkin puree (be careful not to buy pumpkin pie filling!)
16-ounces organic chicken broth
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp red chili pepper flakes
1-2 tsp sea salt
black pepper to taste
1 can organic light coconut milk 

For garnish:

1 bunch organic cilantro, rosemary, or flat leaf Italian parsley
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

STEPS //

1. Add the coconut oil, curry, ginger, garlic, red chili pepper flakes and all of your veggies to a large soup pan and heat on medium high until the vegetables are translucent.
2. Add the can of pumpkin puree, 2 cups of chicken broth, and the can of coconut milk to the pot and stir until well incorporated. Also add sea salt and pepper to taste.
3. Bring soup to a boil and cook for 5 minutes before reducing heat to a simmer. Allow soup to continue to cook uncovered for 30-40 minutes, until the volume is reduced by about half.
4. Once the soup is sufficiently cooked down, allow it to cool for 15 minutes.
5. Use an immersion or high-speed blender to blend the soup until creamy. 
6. Pour soup into bowls and garnish with a handful of pumpkin seeds, fresh herbs and a drizzle of olive oil.
7. Enjoy!

ps- here is some good info. from Katie that I wanted to pass along ;)

Belief in what's possible

Belief is a tricky thing. To believe is to KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that something is TRUE (my own definition).

• Note: Webster's defines belief as: to accept or regard (something) as true. : to accept the truth of what is said by (someone). : to have (a specified opinion). 

Question: do YOU have belief in yourself? Do you have the belief that you are WORTHY, LOVED, IMPORTANT and VALUABLE? Well, you should! You are the only YOU that will ever be. Let that sink in for a moment.

In my heart of hearts, I know that belief is something that we all struggle with. I know that I am not alone in this and that I struggle with belief in myself as a writer, as an entrepreneur, as a fitness enthusiast (will I be able to maintain/sustain my level of commitment? Will I reach my goals?), as a mother, as a person of value, etc. 

The truth is, we all have doubts and fears that creep into our minds and try to squash our belief in ourselves. When that happens, we need to DIG DEEP and remember that we are valuable, we have something to contribute, and that the world deserves to hear what we have to say. 

Today, I want to encourage you to believe in yourself again. Maybe you got off the horse for a while--GET BACK ON IT AND RIDE, SWEET SISTER! Let's do this together. I know that I, for one, plan to be writing more, motivating more, and DOING more. What will you do? Go do it!