Santa Fe Pumpkin Chowder

Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Coconut Milk Gluten free, too! From Karina: Cleaning out the pantry always makes hungry. Come to think of it, so does packing.  And lugging laundry. But the truth is, this time of year- anything can make me hungry.  I could blame it on shorter daylight. Or the jarring touch of the cold tile floor when I  tumble out of bed barefoot and sleepy and weave through boxes of books and movies  to locate my tea mug, gone missing since three PM yesterday when I set it down-  goddess knows where- to help my husband wrap one of my forty-inch square abstracts. All of it makes me hungry. But here's my top ten: Things That Make Me Hungry The relief of selling the house after 30 months of showings and price reductions  and contracts falling through The excitement of starting over Letting go of the outgrown (again) Snapping a photo of my last full moon in the desert Finding childhood photographs of Colin and Alex on the beach Realizing we'll be gone before the second anniversary of the hip incident Finding a fourth floor studio to rent- six blocks from Santa Monica beach The sheer joy of shedding stuff Buying tickets to The Canyon showing at Grauman's Chinese Theater Thinking about tomorrow rather than yesterday Spicy Pumpkin Soup Recipe with Coconut Milk I whipped up this quick and easy chowder to fortify our California-dreamin' souls.  The recipe is a simple improv, straight from the pantry. The coconut milk makes it dairy-free. 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon Thai Kitchen red curry paste 1 15-oz can pumpkin (or squash) 1 15-oz can Muir Glen Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles 1 heaping cup roasted corn kernels 1/2 cup Frontera Jalapeno- Cilantro Salsa 1 cup light broth 1 14-oz. can coconut milk, as needed Sea salt and fresh ground pepper Chopped cilantro, to taste- dried or fresh 1 teaspoon raw organic agave nectar Juice from 1 fresh lime Heat the olive oil in a heavy soup pot over medium-low heat and add the garlic,  cumin and curry paste; stir for one minute. Add the pumpkin, fire roasted tomatoes  with green chiles, roasted corn, and salsa. Stir to combine. Add the broth. Heat through to a simmer, and begin adding the coconut milk; start  with one cup. If you like it creamy, add more. Season with sea salt and ground pepper,  cilantro and sherry. Heat through gently and bring to a slow simmer. Taste test and add the fresh lime juice to brighten the flavor. Stir.  Add more spice if you need more heat; add more agave and/or coconut milk  if you need less heat. Serve with organic blue corn tortilla chips. Makes four servings. Printer-friendly recipe Karina's Notes: Add a can of rinsed and drained black beans for more protein. More pumpkin soup recipes from food bloggers: Thai Spiced Pumpkin Soup from 101 Cookbooks Spicy Pumpkin Soup from Simply Recipes Easy Pumpkin Soup from Celiac Chicks Read more: http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2007/01/santa-fe-pumpkin-chowder.html#ixzz15a6ZOsvO http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2007/01/santa-fe-pumpkin-chowder.html __________________________________________________________________   Easily grow your own vegetables anywhere .  Even PUMPKINS!      Click here: Easy Victory Garden