Sweet potato soup with toasted pumpkin seeds

This sweet potato soup screams autumn. I found it on the website of Sweet Paul and I only made minor changes: I added the choice of using coconut oil instead of olive oil, I used Greek yoghurt instead of heavy cream, and I added the ginger. I haven't tasted it with thyme twigs yet but I'm sure it adds a wonderful flavour. Happy Autumn!

SWEET POTATO SOUP WITH TOASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS

INGREDIENTS

• 1 onion
• 1 garlic clove
• optional: fresh ginger (about the size of a dice)
• 4 large sweet potatoes
• 3 large carrots
• 1½-2 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil (2 in original recipe)
• 2 organic vegetable stock cubes (or chicken)
• 1 litre (4 cups) water
• 190 ml (¾ cup) Greek yoghurt (heavy cream in original recipe)
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground chilli
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• garnish: toasted pumpkin seeds and thyme twigs and Greek yoghurt (or heavy cream)

METHOD

1. Peel and chop the onion, sweet potatoes, carrots, and ginger
2. In a large saucepan, sauté them briefly the oil
3. Add the vegetable stock cubes and water and bring to the boil, then lower the heat to low-medium
4. Cook for around 25 minutes or until the vegetables are tender
5. Using a hand blender, purée the soup. Then add Greek yoghurt (or cream) to thicken it
6. Stir the soup and bring to the boil
7. Season with chilli and pepper. Add salt if required
8. Toast pumpkin seeds in a pan until lightly toasted
9. Serve soup in bowls garnished with pumpkin seeds, fresh thyme and a drizzle of Greek yoghurt (heavy cream)

crispbread

A friend of mine gave me this yeast free crispbread recipe not so long ago and I can highly recommend it, as it is easy to make. She reduced the oil content of the original recipe and said it tasted better that way – of course I take her word for it. I also reduced the salt content. My children like finding this crispbread in their snack box. If you are like I am and enjoy the occasional treat of crackers, cheese and grapes then this crispbread is excellent and of course much healthier than all those salty crackers available on the market. American readers please note: 1 dl = 100 ml, ½ cup = 125 ml.

CRISPBREAD/CRACKERS

INGREDIENTS

• 1¾ dl spelt flour (175 ml)
• ½ dl coarse rolled oats (50 ml)
• ½ dl pumpkin seeds
• ½ dl flaxseeds/linseeds
• ½ dl sesame seeds
• ½ dl sunflower seeds
• ½-¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 dl water
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) quality vegetable oil

METHOD

1. In a large bowl, blend all the ingredients using a spoon or a spatula. The dough will be wet and a bit sticky
2. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. To spread the dough over the parchment you put another baking parchment on top of it and roll it out with a rolling pin. If you need to, simply use your fingers to even the edges out. You can also leave them rough
3. Slice the dough into rectangles (I use a pizza cutter and I tend to make rather small slices) and then pierce the surface of each slice with holes, using a fork or a skewer
4. Place in the oven and allow to bake for 15-20 minutes at 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6 (please note that my oven is fan assisted) depending on how dark and crisp you want the slices (I bake it for 20 minutes)
5. Allow the crispbread to cool and then store it in an airtight container