How to Make Pumpkin Ginger Soup

Want a perfect soup for the fall and winter?  Your family and friends will not soon forget this yummy concoction made with lots of love.  This recipe will make approximately 20 nice size servings of a delicious soup.  About a year and a half ago we found a recipe online and kept pulling it up every time we  wanted to make it.  We’d change things to our own taste and the soup began to evolve.  This past week when we tried to find the recipe it no longer came up.  So – here is our recipe!

Starter Ingredients:

1 – 12oz bag of grated carrots (love Trader Joe’s)

8 medium sized Granny Smith apples

1 Large onion – Red, Yellow or White ( you decide based on your mood or taste!)

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

3 Heaping teaspoons of minced garlic

1 Large Bulb of Fresh Ginger

Fresh Sea Salt

Fresh Ground Black Pepper.

In a large skillet pre-heat the 3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil on medium.  Add the 3 heaping teaspoons of minced garlic.  Allow the garlic to become slightly brown and soft.  Add the 12oz of grated carrots.  As this begins to simmer and soften core your 8 medium sized Granny Smith apples and cut into 8-12 pieces per apple.  To increase the nutritional value,  do not peel the apples.  Add the apples to the skillet and stir.  Dice your large onion and add to the mix.  Finally, peel and then grate the large bulb of fresh ginger into your skillet. 

Allow this starter mixture to cook down until the onions are transparent and the apples are soft.  Add Salt and Pepper to taste.  I’d love to add some specific amounts regarding salt and pepper but everyone has a different palate.  Remember that you’ll have salt from  vegetable stock and seasoning the soup once it has the final ingredients added.

Once your starter ingredients are soft, transfer them to a food processor or Ninja and puree the ingredients.  To produce a smoother texture, add 1-2 cups water and 1 cup of vegetable broth.  Once this portion is pureed, transfer to a large stock pot.

Ingredients to Build on the Starter:

45 ounces of Pumpkin ( or you can bake and puree your own fresh pumpkin if you have the time)

2- 32 oz Low Sodium Vegetable Stock ( again love Trader Joe’s)

½ cup Organic sugar

Fresh Sea Salt

Fresh Black Ground Pepper

Nutmeg

In the large stock pot, add the 45 ounces of Pumpkin to your pureed starter mix.  Add 2-32 oz Low Sodium Vegetable Stock and stir until smooth.  Add ½ cup of Organic Sugar.  Season to taste with fresh ground black pepper, fresh sea salt and nutmeg.  ( Note:  I use approximately 1 teaspoon of added fresh sea salt and 2 teaspoons of fresh ground black pepper in this stage.  You’ll have to season to taste as many like more salt and less pepper.  The nutmeg is strong so 1-2 teaspoons will be sufficient unless you really like this to be a prominent taste in the final soup.) Place on medium low heat and cook for 4 or more hours stirring occasionally.

Serving Suggestion:

Place soup in bowls and garnish with:

Quattro Fromaggio Grated Cheese ( another Trader Joe’s favorite)

Sour Cream

Fresh Cilantro leaves

From Walking to Jogging

Running!  I was about to start this post with the phrase "I'm running again!", but the truth is I'm probably just jogging a bit.  But, the truth is that I'm on my way to being a runner again!

A year ago, I was pretty much constrained to a chair and a few trips each week to the Physical Therapist.  I was getting back to walking but I still needed the assistance of a walker.  In fact, I was just reflecting on how I went to Christmas Eve services last year with my walker in a crowd of thousands.  It was weird, awkward and even a bit frightening.  I nearly fell off the curb as we headed back to the car after the service.  Pushing myself through that evening was worth it.  We enjoyed nearly nine months at Copper Pointe Church after that rocky start.

A little over a month ago, on Thanksgiving Day, I "ran" for the first time since my surgery.  As I mentioned, it was probably just jogging.  But, since that day I've now done it another 4 or 5 times.  It's enjoyable to be able to do this again.  Caryl and I used to run a lot when we were first married.  We especially loved it when were on vacation and got to run at the beach.  I'm pinching myself because I live 28 blocks from the beach now and my regular place to walk or run is at Santa Monica Beach!


As I started this blog, I was just learning to walk again.  While I had hoped to run much sooner, I'm very grateful that I'm to that stage in my journey.  In a January post in this blog, I spoke of learning to walk in faith again.  It's been a slow journey there as well and I'm probably not jogging in that area yet.  But, I 'm confident that if even if it takes eleven more months, I'll start to move faster in my faith as well.

Again, I ask, in what areas of your life do you need to learn to walk again?  Do you dream of "running" in an area of your life?  What's holding you back and do you have the stamina to pick up the pace just a little at a time?  Who knows, perhaps in a year you'll be jogging or running when you didn't even think you could walk.

Is it wanting to find a new job? Or is it that you want to go back to school to finish a degree?  Do you need the courage to love your spouse again?  Do you need to get the courage to make new friends?

Whatever it is that looks like walking again to you, I pray you will have the courage to do it!  I'm reminding myself that I could barely walk a year ago but with steady, determined stamina I'm jogging and I look forward to posting about being a runner again!

Take courage!  You can walk again!