In an Orange Mood

Today did not start out as one of my better food days. I woke up later that I’d like, hopped in the shower for a few minutes, and scrambled to get dressed. This left me with no time for breakfast, so I packed some fruit and ran to the car. I just made it to work in time, but my stomach was grumbling all morning. To make matters worse, I didn’t get to leave for lunch until 1:00! That’s a long time for my tummy to wait!!!

I got home and munched on the leftover artichokes, broccoli and mashed potatoes from last night. Definitely felt much better after getting some food in me!

Tonight, I decided on a soup full of veggies. Orange veggies at that!

Pumpkin, Carrot, Ginger Soup! I even made my own croutons. Perfect for a cool, fall evening!

For the soup:

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock

Instructions:

1. Put the onions and carrots into a pot on medium heat with the olive oil. Sautee until tender, about 5-8 minutes.
2. Once the veggies are tender, add in the ginger, salt, pepper and white wine. Allow the mixture to come to a boil.
3. Add in the pumpkin to the vegetable mixture.
4. Add in the stock and let the soup come to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 25 minutes.
5. I added in a splash of half and half right at the end. It just made the soup creamier… totally up to you (or your pantry) as to whether you want to add it in!

For the croutons:

• Sourdough bread (1-4 slices)
• Olive Oil
• Parmesan Cheese, grated

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400*.
2. As the soup is simmering, tear the bread into bite-sized pieces.
3. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
4. Once the oil is hot, add the bread. Cook until the bread is golden brown, turning often for about 5-6 minutes.
5. When the bread is cooked, mix the croutons in the grated parmesan cheese until coated.
6. Place the croutons on a well greased cookie sheet and bake for 4-6 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

The soup said it made 4 servings, but that may have been if the soup was being used as a side. We got 3 hearty portions out of it, but I’m sure if you used the whole can of pumpkin and added in a little more liquid, it would produce 4 servings easily. I really liked this soup because it was quick and easy. The croutons are definitely an added bonus, but take a little while so could easily be left out of the mix!

I love it when a recipe is good enough to be written down to be used again for later! This is definitely going in my book!