GF: Curried Pumpkin and Corn Soup

GF: Curried Pumpkin and Corn Soup, originally uploaded by Kate Chan.

Oh yea. I have a wicked cold. It’s not too fun, all things considering. I was going to grade tests today, but my focus is somewhere lost in the haze that resides around by brain at the moment. Oh… I hate having brain fog.

So what works for me?
Soup.
Always.

While we were out running errands after the gym yesterday, I saw a huge pot of navy bean soup in a deli. Oh – it looked good! I thought it sounded like a great treat from my throat and cold, so I asked the deli counter worker where the ingredient list was for this soup. (The other two soups had it out on the counter with the soup pot and both of them contained wheat gluten. YUCK) After a few minutes she came back and told me the navy bean soup was made with wheat protein AND wheat gluten. Good grief! UGH! My soup fantasy was busted with that knowledge.

Bummer! Wheat, wheat …everywhere.

Today I finally had enough energy to make something better. Something homemade.

I don’t know about you all, but I am finding that the food I make at home tastes so much better than food we can get out of the house (never mind the no worry about cross-contact either). Do you find this to be true too?

So today I pulled out of the fridge whatever was would work for a curried soup. Lo and behold, I had a perfect small sugar pumpkin.

This soup is vegetarian, casein free (uses coconut milk), gluten-free and perfect for brain fog. 🙂

It’s also quite easy to add thinly sliced chicken breast or tofu cubes, if you wish to bump up the protein too. Consider adding more vegetables or more color, too. I wish we had some red bell pepper – that would have been delicious and colorful. But nope. No red pepper.

What is your favorite harvest soup?

PS. I roasted the pumpkin seeds from the pumpkin to make a great crunchy topping for the soup. To do this, reserve the seeds from your pumpkin and rinse them well. Pat dry. Toss with a 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt.  (I seasoned mine with creole seasoning.)  Roast in the oven at 325F for about 20 minutes – stirring every 5-10 minutes until golden.

GF, CF Curried Pumpkin and Corn Soup
Serves 6 (small bowls) or 3 as a main entree
Ingredients:
1 sugar pumpkin (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 can corn kernels, drained
1 shallot, diced (about 1/3 cup) or 3/4 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 inch of fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 can coconut milk (14 ounces)
2 Tablespoons GF/CF curry powder
1/2 Tablespoon (or 1 1/2 teaspoons) agave nectar
1/2 Tablespoon (or 1 1/2 teaspoons) GF fish sauce
1 teaspoon olive oil

Directions:

  1. Peel and slice pumpkin in half. Remove and reserve pumpkin seeds for roasting, if desired. (See note above.) Scrap out any remaining pulp and slice the pumpkin halves into 1/2 strips. Cut each strip into 3 or 4 pieces (or smaller, if desired).
  2. Prepare and chop garlic, shallots and ginger.
  3. Preheat 3 quart pan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil. Add shallots and fry for 2-3 minutes while stirring until slightly golden.
  4. Add garlic and ginger. Sauté until fragrant.
  5. Add pumpkin and corn. Sauté for 3-4 minutes while you season.
  6. Add curry powder and stir well.
  7. Add coconut milk, chicken broth, fish sauce and agave nectar.
  8. Taste. Adjust seasonings to your taste – add pepper, more curry powder, etc.
  9. Bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer until the pumpkin pieces are fork-tender – about 10-15 minutes. (Time will vary depending on the size of your pumpkin pieces.) Stir frequently while it simmers..
  10. Serve with roasted pumpkin seeds on top for an added treat.

Happy Fall GF Soups, everyone!
-Kate

Comments are closed.