It’s October, and if you live in the Northeastern United States, not too long ago, you used to be able to take your evening walk in the 7 o’clock sun and still get home in time to see a golden blaze burning in the sky. But now the fall has fallen and the green leaf is a fiery orange, a brilliant yellow, and purple too. Winter is coming, and the fruits of the season now fill the baskets in your home: bounties of beets and fennel, brussels sprouts, pumpkin, parsnips, and carrots. All are good for a seasonal soup like this vegan pumpkin soup below with its West African accents that my birthmate Tarkpor shared with me just recently. It was good to the very last drop, and I can’t wait to make it for myself. In the meantime, try it out and let me know how it goes.
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook time: 60
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 cup fresh ground peanut butter
1/2 bag small brown lentils
4 cloves of garlic chopped
5 cloves
2 onions roughly chopped
2 carrots (cut crosswise into thin rounds)
4 tomatoes chopped
1 white sweet potato (peeled and chopped)
3 mushrooms (chopped)
3 twigs of thyme
2 tablespoons of fresh basil
About ten whole okras
Half of a Kabocha squash (peeled and chopped)
Seasoning to taste (this cold be salt, pepper, or a vegetable bouillon)
Directions:
- Add 32 ounces of water to a soup pot and bring to boil.
- Then add peanut butter and cloves to the boiling water. Turn fire to medium.
- In a pan, sauté mushroom, garlic, thyme, and seasoning. Then add all of the other ingredients and allow to stew for fifteen minutes.
- Add stew to the soup pot. Cook on medium for 40 minutes, or until pumpkin and potatoes are soft and tender.
Enjoy.