Creamy Pumpkin Soup (Vegan)

_Ingredients: 

• 1kg pumpkin
• 3 cloves garlic 
• 2 onions (red or white) 
• ½ Tbsp fresh ginger, grated  
• ¼ tsp nutmeg 
• ½ tsp cinnamon 
• ½ tsp paprika 
• 750ml vegetable stock 
• 400ml coconut cream 
• Salt and Pepper

Toasted pumpkin seeds: 

• Pumpkin seeds 
• Oil 
• Salt

_Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 180°C
2. Cut the pumpkin in half (you can leave the skin on!) and scoop out the seeds from the middle. Place the seeds into water and separate from the stringy flesh around them. Set the stringy flesh aside to use later, and you can toast the seeds for garnish (see notes below).
3. Roughly chop the pumpkin and onion into chunks. Place onto a baking tray and drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place into the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes until the pumpkin is soft.
4. Heat a large deep pot with 1 Tbsp oil, then add the grated ginger and sauté for 1 minute. Add the roasted onion, pumpkin, nutmeg, paprika and cinnamon. You can also add the stringy flesh you set aside earlier to reduce waste. 
5. Pour in the vegetable stock, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. 
6. Remove the pot from the heat and use a hand/stick blender to blitz the soup until lumps have been removed and you have a nice smooth soup (or it’s the texture you like!) If you don’t have a hand blender, you can transfer the soup into a food processor and blend that way. It will just need to go back on the stove for Step 7.
7. Place the pot back onto the stove and pour in the coconut milk & cook on a low heat for a further 10 minutes. If the soup is too thick, add more stock. Taste and season with salt and pepper as required.
8. To serve, we love sprinkling toasted pumpkin seeds on top and enjoying this with a side of delicious crunchy buttered toast for an extra delight!

Store your soup for a future heat and eat dinner: Once cooled, divide the soup between freezer safe containers leaving some space as the soup will expand when frozen. Freeze and store for up to 3 months in an airtight container.

To reheat the soup, simply pop in the microwave or reheat in a pot on the stove. You may need to add more water if it’s too thick. Reheat on a low heat to avoid the coconut cream splitting.

Toasted pumpkin seeds garnish:

• Gather your rinsed pumpkin seeds
• Fill a small pot with water and bring to the boil. Add the seeds to the boiling water and boil for 10 minutes. 
• Drain the seeds and pat dry with a clean towel. 
• Place onto a lined baking tray. Drizzle with oil and season with salt. 
• Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Use as a garnish on your soup, or add to salads for a bit of yummy crunch!