Pumpkin Pear Soup
(altered from Clean Eating magazine)
This is a great soup when you want some creamy goodness without the cream. You can make this soup up to three days before the big day – just stop after you blend it.
Ingredients:
2 firm ripe pears
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 1/2 pound cooking pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks (about 7 cups)
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. ground pepper (more to taste)
5 cups chicken broth*
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Directions:
1. In a medium stock-pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add in the pumpkin and cook, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes.
3. Add onion and cook, stirring for 4 minutes.
4. Stir in the diced pear, sage, allspice, salt & pepper and cook until vegetables are crisp tender. Stir occasionally. (About 4 more minutes.)
5. Add broth, scrape the bottom of the pot to get the browned bits up. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, cooking until the pumpkin and pear are very tender. (6-8 minutes)
6. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup. (Or put in a blender and blend in batches careful to vent the blender and allow steam to escape.)
When serving, cut remaining half of pear into matchstick and toss with lemon juice. Re-heat the soup if necessary. Season with additional salt & pepper if desired and garnish with pear matchsticks.
For an extra protein boost, you can also garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds. (1 tbsp adds 4.8g of protein).
*Our local health food store has bouillon cubes that are “no-chicken” cubes, so it is flavored for chicken stock, but no chicken in it. Or you can use “Better than Bouillon” paste when making your own “chicken” stock/broth.