Spicy Ginger Pumpkin Soup

About a year ago, I visited a friend who served this amazing soup. He was kind enough to send me the recipe! This is great recipe because you can play around with the type of liquids and winter squash you use. I've made it with pumpkin and butternut squash - both are delicious. 

Warning - the recipe is SPICY! The ginger sneaks up on you. If you are sensitive to spice, dial it down to your needs.

Your shopping list

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 cups uncooked peeled pumpkin, cubed
• 2 Tbsp anchovy paste
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 freshly grated ginger
• 3/4 Tbsp red chili flakes
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup 5% cream
• 1 litre low sodium chicken broth
• salt, to taste

Garnish

• 1 tsp cayenne
• 1/2 cup raw shelled sunflower seeds

What to do with it

Perfect soup for a fall day

1. Heat the oil in a stock pot over medium-high heat
2. Add pumpkin and cook, stirring often, until lightly golden, about 10 minutes
3. Mix in anchovy paste, onion, and garlic and cook for an additional 5 minutes
4. Stir in red chili flakes, ginger, and brown sugar and cook for 2 minutes
5. Add liquids, along with a cup of water, and bring to a boil
6. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered for 45 minutes
7. Using an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth
8. Add salt and simmer for an additional 20 minutes
9. Meanwhile, heat a dry pan over medium heat
10. Add seeds and toast, until just smoking
11. Add cayenne and toss seeds for about a minute
12. Transfer sunflower seeds to a plate to cool
13. Serve soup with toasted seeds

Gone boating

Spaghetti Squash Boats

One small squash serves two
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes

If you're looking for an easy and impressive looking meal to serve to guests, look no further! This is a great substitute for pasta. If you don't feel like getting fancy, skip the part where you melt cheese in the squash skin and just serve it. Enjoy :)

Your Shopping List:

• 2 cups of your favourite pasta sauce (I make my own that has lots of veggies and either turkey or beef)
• One small-ish spaghetti squash
• a handful of grated cheese (I used Mozzarella)

What to do with it:

1. Preheat your oven to 400
2. Cut spaghetti squash length-wise and remove seeds (set them aside to roast later)
3. Place squash cut-side down on a greased or lined baking sheet
4. Bake in pre-heated oven for approximately 35-40 minutes
5. When the squash is cooked, shred with a fork
6. Mix shredded squash with your pasta sauce in a bowl then return it to the hollowed squash skins
7. Top with cheese and bake the squash boats for another 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted
8. Serve with a garden salad!