Nutritionist and healthy living expert, Lee Holmes from @leesupercharged, uses her Vitamix A3500i blender to achieve a chunky blend for her Butternut Pumpkin Soup.

“The fragrant garlic and tangy ginger provide a beautiful depth of flavour, and the pumpkin and fennel give the soup an earthy aniseed sweetness for balance on a cold winter’s night.” Lee suggests adding more stock to the recipe if you prefer a creamier, smoother version.

Butternut Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

· 1 small butternut pumpkin, skin removed and cut into medium sized chunks

· 2 cloves garlic 

· 1 tsp cinnamon

· 1 tsp fennel seeds

· 1 TBSP olive oil

· 1 TBSP coconut sugar 

· 1 onion quartered

· 1 cup Chicken or vegetable stock

· ¼ cup coconut milk

· 1 inch knob fresh ginger chopped

· Toppings of choice- hemp seeds, pine nuts, nutritional yeast flakes, herbs of choice.

Method

1.     Heat oven to 220 degrees celsius and place pumpkin and garlic, spices, ginger, onions and coconut sugar on a baking tray. Add olive oil. Roast for about 30 mins until cooked through.

2.     Remove from the oven and set aside.

3.     Place stock and coconut milk into the Vitamix A3500i blender. Add roasted pumpkin mix. Blend on the lowest speed variable 1 and increase to variable 10. Blend until smooth, using the tamper to press ingredients toward the blades, about 5-6 minutes.

4.     Season to taste.

5.     Pour into a bowl and top with toppings of choice.

Recipe thanks to Vitamix