Curried Pumpkin Soup

Every vegetarian remembers their first Thanksgiving as a veg... and probably kept their fingers crossed that other dinner guests did not continually bombard them with questions about what on earth they'd eat, make silly comments like, "turkey isn't really meat," or worst of all, as everyone in my house liked to do, wave a turkey leg in front of you while making gobbling noises. No wonder why we get stressed out during the holidays!

And though there was plenty of the aforementioned on my first Thanksgiving as a vegetarian, I still remember my mom, days before the bird-roasting bonanza, struggling to find a recipe suitable for her newly vegged out daughter- anything with pumpkin and anything with some spice would definitely score points. And Mom sure racked up the points big time with this curried pumpkin soup recipe! Though I don't miss the tradition of my sibs putting turkey skin on their faces a la The Cable Guy, making this thick, creamy soup in November is the tradition I will keep :)


The Whats:

* 3 tbsp. soy butter
* 1 large onion, diced
* 1 15 oz. can of pureed pumpkin
* 4 cups vegetable stock
* 2 fresh bay leaves
* 1 tsp. sugar
* 1 tbsp. curry powder
* 1 tsp. nutmeg
* 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
* 1 1/2 cups soy milk
* salt & pepper to taste


The Hows:

1) Melt butter in a 4 to 6 quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until soft and golden brown, about 3 minutes.

2) Stir in pumpkin, veggie stock, bay leaves, sugar, curry powder, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat and continue to simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3) In batches, transfer soup to blender to puree, or use immersion blender until soup is smooth. Return to saucepan, and add the soy milk, salt, and pepper. Simmer for ten minutes, but do not allow soup to boil. Serve hot.