Truth Number Once.....

So remember the truth number one...you are either a fan or not....We have learned that anything that is an entree with Pumkin (not slathered in cinnamon or sugar) just is not our cup of tea.

This soup looked really beautiful during the process and everything smelled really good through and through...but really I could not get past the idea that it looked like I was feeding my family baby food squash.

I found this recipe in line at http://www.thebikinichef.com/ (supposed to be healthy fitness foods)

Kobacha Squash Soup with fresh basil- (Kobacha Squash is often called Japanese Pumpkin and thus it makes the criteria of pumkin month!)

Ingredients: 6 Kobacha squash (I made half the recipe and skipped using extra squash as soup bowls because I pretty much knew my family would turn up noses!)
                 2 fresh red bell pepper
                 1Tbs Olive Oil
                 1 Large yellow onion
                 2 garlic cloves
                 3 1/2 cups fat free chicken broth (bout the fat kind :) )
                 3 1/2 Cups water
                 1Tbsp red whine vinegar
                 11/2 tsp ground cinnamon
                 1 tsp nutmeg
                 Sea salt and black pepper to taste
                 2Tbsp chopped fresh sage leaves
                 Fresh parmesean cheese

Roast squash: cut two kobacha pumkins in half and scrape out seeds, lighly salt, then place cut sides down in an oiled pan or on parchment lined roasting pan in the middle of the oven for about 1 hr. Then let cool before scraping the flesh from the skin, set this aside in a bowl.

Broil Peppers: Cut 2 red bell peppers in half and place face down on a baking sheet....place under the broiler until the skin is charred. Remove from the oven and place in a bol covering with wrap to allow them to cool for 15 minutes. The before completely cool peel the charred skin from the peppers and chop the peppers up well.

For the Soup: Add olive oil, onion and garlic to a stock pot and saute for 1 minute. Add in chicken broth, water and vinegar and stir while it simmers. Add in the roasted squash and bell pepper and allow to simmer fro about 20 minutes. Add cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Add the choopeed sage and set off of heat. Working in batches puree the soup in a food processor until all smooth and return back to pot to re-simmer slowly as you add parmesan shavings and a sprig of basil. Allow to simmer on low for 10 minutes then transfer to serving bowls (pumkin bowls if you wish) and top with additional parmesan shavings.

If you choose to use the pumkin bowls you need 4 more (these were 3$ pumkins so I would go with bread bowls or just good ol fashion bowls) but if you want the "look" then you would cut the top off and remove, scrape out as much flesh as possible from each....oil the inside lightly and salt then roast them in the oven for about 10 minutes.

Again separately everything looked and smelled great! When we got to the puree part Jaycee checked out...plush when she found out it was "squash" she was pretty much convinced she did not want any part of it. Keegan was a good sport but had a lot to say about the looks of it (most of it was terrible bathroom humor so I will spare you) Doug promised the kids when I was not looking they would for sure eat better tonight. And now I am not talking to any of them!

I managed to eat a whole cup full and really it was good and hearty but just too different and I was wishing the whole time it was a tomatoe soup....Pumpkin Lovers....its for you!

I will say, there were so many other yummy looking healthy recipes on that website....so I will go back...just not for seconds of the soup.