Recipe: Creamy Curry Pumpkin Soup

This soup is creamy, savory, and has wonderful bites of black beans and tart tomatoes. 

I love creamy, thick soups and this Curry Pumpkin Soup is all that. Plus, it’s fragrant with all the spices and has a slight kick to it from the cayenne pepper. The original recipe calls for heavy cream. I swapped that for cashew cream, which is a superior substitute.

Curry Pumpkin Soup

(Based on the Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup by Rachael Ray)

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 medium or large onion chopped
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• 1-inch piece of ginger minced or 1 tablespoon of ginger paste (I always have a large jar of this around; buy it at the Indian store or in the ethnic aisle at the grocery store). You could use 1/2 tsp. of ginger powder if you don't have fresh ginger or ginger paste.
• 3 tablespoons of organic sugar 
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne
• 2-1/2 cups vegan broth (you can use veggie broth; I used NotChick’n bouillon cubes to make my broth)
• 2 cups canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 c. cashew cream (1/2 cup of soaked cashews, drained, and then blended with 1/2 cup of water until smooth)
• 15-oz can of black beans rinsed and drained
• 14.5-oz can of diced roasted tomatoes (don't drain)
• Salt to taste (I used 1 tablespoon of kosher salt)

Directions:

Heat the oil over medium heat and sauté onions for 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, ginger, sugar, and spices, and cook for 1 minute, stirring regularly so spices become fragrant but don't burn. Whisk in broth, black beans, tomatoes, and pumpkin puree. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to low. Add the cashew cream and almond milk. Taste and add salt to your preference. Simmer for 5-10 minutes. Serve hot with a dollop of vegan yogurt or vegan sour cream and chopped fresh chives.