The weather has just turned quite cold and I find myself enjoying soup of all varieties.  They are filling and easy to make in big batches and freeze.  My kids often take soup to lunch with them which is a great way to know they are getting a nutritionally sound lunch even if they do trade their carrot sticks for a few Oreos.  My sister-in-law recently tried a recipe for Roasted Pumpkin Soup that is delicious. While they are more like fruits in that they contain seeds, pumpkins are more like vegetables nutritionally. Pumpkin are exceptionally high in Beta Carotene which is a powerful antioxidant.  They also contain lots of other nutrients including the following:

Nutrition for 1 cup cooked pumpkin:

• Fiber= 3 grams

• Protein= 2 grams

• Vitamin K= 49% of RDI

• Vitamin C= 19% of RDI

• Potassium= 16% of RDI

• Copper, Manganese and Riboflavin= 11% of RDI

• Vitamin E= 10% of RDI

• Iron= 8% of RDI

• Folate= 6% of RDI

• Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Vitamin B6 and Thiamin= 5%

How can you go wrong with this delicious winter squash!  Try this recipe for Roasted Pumpkin Soup and save some for later by freezing the leftovers (if there are any)!

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients:

1 (3 lb) sugar pumpkin, halved, seeded and quartered
2 red bell peppers, quartered
1 Granny Smith apple, quartered and seeded
6 fresh thyme sprigs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups vegetable stock
6 fresh sage leaves or 1 tsp dried sage
1/2 cup So Delicious Culinary Coconut Milk
3 tablespoons pepitas

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray.

2. Place pumpkin, bell peppers, apple and thyme in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Gently toss to combine.

3. Place into oven and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until pumpkin is fork-tender, stirring at halftime; let cool, then remove skins.

4. Place pumpkin, bell peppers, apple, vegetable stock and sage in a Dutch Oven and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 5-10 minutes.

5. Puree with an immersion blender. Stir in coconut milk; season with salt and pepper, to taste. If the soup is too thick, add more vegetable stock as needed until desired consistency is reached.

6. Serve immediately, garnished with pepitas, if desired.