Don’t be surprised, but the oranges in this recipe are optional! Today we will be cooking a lovely autumn or winter soup, with pumpkin and carrots as the base ingredients (that’s why I call it orange, everything is orange!). I’m not a huge fan of traditional soups, so I found my own twists to find a lovely warm meal for the colder weather that is healthy and soothing and according to me, way more delicious!!
Ingredients
- Pumpkin
- Carrots
- Citrus (lemon and oranges or tangerines)
- Coriander
- Nutmeg
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Turmeric
- Ginger
- Milk or Water
Method
The first to find itself on the stove will be our carrot, for the simple reason that it’s the hardest ingredient on our list. You may want to chop it down so it will be easier to cook, however, I will be blending everything down so the shape doesn’t matter (of course if you prefer your soup with bite-sized veggies, than go ahead and chop as you prefer!). Second in will be the pumpkin. Our pumpkin will meltdown, so all we need to do here is wait for a little while for it to soften. (I usually do not add water, pumpkin usually supply me with the liquids I need, but if you want to add a little water to boil your veggies, it’s another option). Now it’s time for the more interesting flavors, for mine I used tangerines, they will make it sweeter than oranges will, however, oranges will blend in nicely too in this recipe. A dash of lemon will boost that citrusy flavor, so go ahead and add a little lemon. Add a little of the peels too for a bitter taste, it makes an interesting contrast with the sweetness and sourness in our pot. Add in the coriander, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves (cloves blend in extremely well with citrus, so I like to add a little more than usual in this recipe). Add also a dash of ginger and turmeric, if you have freshly ground it’s even better, just don’t overdo it, these will be background notes in this recipe.
Stir and let to simmer, cover-up so that the juices from our veggies will not evaporate, it’s always better to have fresh veggie water than add stock to your soup, stock may have unwanted fats and salts in there! In the end add a little milk or water, just enough to help your blender puree everything down. I like my soups very thick, so you might want to add a little more liquid than I did here.
And your soup is ready to plate!! You can top with some pine nuts or cashew nuts, both for presentation and to add some protein and carbs to your meal! Add honey to taste, to boost the sweetness in the carrots, pumpkins and tangerines! (Also, adding honey after will avoid boiling it. Honey is way healthier raw!)
Variations
If you are an onion fanatic, you can start this recipe with some caramelized onions. Just grill them until they start to become golden, you may add some honey to this step to boost their sweetness than add your carrots and go on as above. Just be careful to stir or add water so that the onions do not burn. You can also add some sesame seeds to this recipe, they boost your calcium and their flavor blends in well.
If you leave this mixture thick enough, you can place it in some wraps and go-ahead to transform it into a Wannabe Pumpkin Pie (same concept as our Wannabe Apple Pie)! Then the sesame seeds will be perfect as a topping! You may also add some oats to dry your mixture a little more for this version. Let us know if you try this out, we would love to hear about your kitchen experiments too!