Pumpkin Soup w/ Homemade Croutons
By: Lady Catherine ...
Published: Tuesday, September 30, 2014 - 1:21pm

Ingredients




1 medium onion – diced
2 stalks of celery – chopped
3 cloves of garlic – chopped
2 inch piece of ginger – chopped fine
1 small jalapeño – chopped with seeds
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tbs. sesame oil
1 tbs. olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon
4 cups of chicken broth
15 oz. can of black beans – drained
¼ cup of cilantro - chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
¼ tsp. turmeric
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. garlic powder
Dollop of sour cream for garnish
Drizzle of honey for garnish
For the Croutons:
Day old Italian bread – about ½ a loaf
2-3 tbs. Olive oil
½ tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Black pepper
¼ tsp. Turmeric
¼ tsp. Garlic powder

Preparation

1 For the Soup: 2 Heat a sauce pot. 3 Add the olive oil, sesame oil, ginger, onion, jalapeño, celery and garlic.  Let these veggies sauté until the ginger and garlic are fragrant. 4 Add the pumpkin puree, lemon juice, cilantro and the broth.  Simmer on a low heat and add the drained beans and the seasonings. 5 Simmer the soup on low for at least 20 – 30 minutes.  Taste the soup to adjust your seasonings. 6 When you are ready to serve; ladle the soup into a bowl; top with the croutons, dollop of sour cream, drizzle of honey and a few cilantro leaves. 7 For the Croutons: 8 Cut up day old Italian bread into bite sized pieces. 9 Drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil over the bread.  Season the bread with dashes of each seasoning and toss. 10 Heat a large frying pan and toss the bread in the pan to get a little golden color. 11 Set the croutons aside for the soup.