Pumpkin Soup by Sophie

Grandparents are generous creatures, always thinking of new ways to surprise the little people in their lives. In our case, one of these generous grandparents is Grandma Jo (also known as the pumpkin headmaster here on the 'ole blog). As you might imagine, her surprises often involve pumpkin :D Recently she sent us a copy of the book Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper. Our job? Make Pumpkin Soup, of course! So on a rainy, blustery day my littlest one and I set to doing just that. We used the Pumpkin Soup recipe that is included in the book (although, ours didn’t have it - maybe because it was paperback??) found here.

Pumpkin Soup~ with modifications

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 small onion, chopped

**I also added celery and a turnip, just because I had 'em!
1 tablespoon canola oil

**I used olive oil, and probably a bit more than a tablespoon, but I was sauteing more veggies
15-ounce can pumpkin puree

14-ounce can light unsweetened coconut milk

**I used regular (not light) because that is what I had
14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth

**added ½ can more
1 tablespoon brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

**I added pepper, too
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

In a large saucepan, cook carrots and onions in oil over medium heat until soft (about 5 minutes). Add chicken broth, cover and cook until carrots are soft (about 5 minutes more).

Carefully transfer vegetables and broth into a blender. Add pumpkin, brown sugar, salt and ginger, and blend until smooth. **I skipped this step, I like my soup more chunky.

Transfer mixture back to saucepan and heat for another 5 minutes. Add coconut milk and cook until heated through. Milk or water can be added to thin the soup if necessary.

**Here is where my modifications reaaaalllly took a turn. My helper had been tasting bites all along and really enjoying it, but I was finding it a bit sweet for my taste. Soooo, I added Sriacha Sauce, which definitely kicked it up a notch. However, I may have gotten a little heavy handed with it, as our soup was now a touch spicy. Oops! Sophie still ate it up, but next time I might wait to add the Sriacha to the individual bowls so that everyone can really enjoy!