Favorite Recipes: Spicy Pumpkin & Butternut Bisque

SPICY SQUASH BISQUE

Sometimes life just hands you pumpkins...

A fellow camper handed me a pumpkin last week, one that she had purchased to decorate her campsite but didn't want to pack up and take home. With the weather in the mountains of New Mexico turning colder, we decided to turn it into soup...but not just any soup.  This vegan seasonal bisque fuses the sweet and savory flavors of pumpkin and butternut squash with the soul warming spiciness of chipotle. A splash of coconut milk adds a creamy finish which turns an average pot of squash soup into a hearty bowl of comfort food. To accompany the bisque, Hutch baked up some of his delicious Fry Bake Focaccia and topped it with caramelized onions and fire-roasted, New Mexican Hatch chilies.  What started as a kind gesture, ended as a delicious meal.  I wish we had her contact information to share with her what we created with her kindness!

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Ingredients

• 1 Small Pumpkin (pie sized)
• 1 Small Butternut Squash
• 3-4 cups Water
• 2-3 tsp/cubes Vegetable Bullion (we love Better Than Bullion)
• 1 Medium Spanish Onion, chopped
• 2-3 Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce (maybe only 1 if you like it mild?)
• 8oz Coconut Milk
• 1 TBSP Garlic Powder
• Olive Oil 
• Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Toppings:

• Green Onions, chopped
• Greek Yogurt, plain
• Croutons or Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Instructions

Quarter and seed both the pumpkin and butternut squash (save those seeds and roast them up for a high protein snack!).  Place in deep dish pan with about 1/2 cup of water and steam until both squashes are soft enough to easily pierce with a fork.  Set aside and let cool long enough to be able to peel them by hand approximately 20 minutes).  

Carefully remove peels and cut the squash into chunks.  Place in pan with a generous amount of olive oil and cook until almost caramelized, turning frequently.   When the squash is nearly finished, add the chopped onion and sauté until everything is nicely caramelized.  We even fired up our OTZI Flame Grill to roast these veggies over a wood fire...extra yummy! 

Put caramelized squash, onion, water, bouillon, and chipotle peppers into a 2-3 quart sauce pot and blend with an immersion blender.

Add coconut milk (approximately 1/2 can) and garlic powder to the pot and continue blending.

Cook until the bisque starts bubbling, stirring occasionally.  Makes 4-6 servings of hearty soup.

Note:  We added some chopped broccoli and kale a few minutes before taking it off the stove for some additional texture and flavor, but the bisque is great without these additions.