Warm Pumpkin Soup for a Rainy Day

Summer is creeping over the horizon, but this rainy stormy afternoon made me crave something warm and hearty. After searching through my cupboards, I decided to go in a direction I've never gone before and make Black Bean Pumpkin Soup. I found a base recipe online, but decided to alter it quite a bit to make it heartier and much more spicy. The ingredients:

1/2 stick butter
1/2 a white onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 carrot, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
29 oz can pumpkin puree
2 cans 10 oz diced tomatoes with lime juice and chilis
2 cans 15.25 black beans
1/4 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 bay leaf
salt
pepper
~3 T sherry vinegar
~1 T lemon juice

The onion, garlic and carrot were put in a soup pot with the butter and cooked until the onions and carrot softened.

The remainder of the ingredients were added to the pot, and the heat was reduced to low and simmered about 20 minutes.

Pretty? No Yummy? Yes!

Despite my initial thoughts of what this soup would be, I really really enjoyed it. I doubled the pumpkin that the original recipe called for and added fewer beans so that the pumpkin flavor would come through and have its day. This was a spicy, light and unexpected meal, perfect for a rainy summer day.

Even better, this soup took almost no time, and could be altered to suit any tastes. It could easily be made vegetarian (switch veggie broth for the chicken) or more mild (use less of the coriander and cumin, and use diced tomatoes without the chilis). If you prefer a smoother soup, you could also add more broth or use an immersion blender to up the smooth-and-creamy factor.

Sour cream or plain yogurt would work perfectly with this dish, and I would have added a dollop to my bowl if I had some on hand.

Yum!

PS. I realize that this soup is not pretty (boo I love pretty food pictures!), so to satisfy beautiful-food-picture-cravings I suggest this site: http://foodporndaily.com/ As they say: click, drool, repeat