Sweet Potato-Pumpkin Soup

I found myself completely uninspired yesterday, trying to come up with dinner. Nothing was sounding good to me at all. Then I noticed a soup recipe I'd ripped out of a magazine laying right next to my laptop. I realized it was the heartiness of the dishes I'd been looking at that weren't appealing. But soup and salad for dinner was just what I was in the mood for.

The torn-out recipe for sweet potato soup was actually an ad for yogurt, and it just looked yummy so I'd saved it without really even looking it over. I saw it wasn't going to work- one, I didn't have the yogurt on hand, and two, it's only real seasoning was a lot of cumin (which I prefer in smaller doses.) A search for other recipes produced me mostly very sweet sounding ones, and I'm more of a spicy/savory person.

I decided to come up with my own and luckily it came out wonderful. I decided to add pumpkin as well, since I had some already peeled in the fridge, and to give it just a slightly spiced flavor. I've had a can of evaporated milk sitting around for a long time- why, I have no idea- so I was glad to finally have a good use for it. I really liked this soup, both fresh off the stove and as a leftover for lunch today. Sage didn't care for it as much, but he doesn't usually love pureed or creamy soups. He's a fan of broth based soups, full of chunky vegetables and meat, so I wasn't surprised. This only yields around 2 bowls or 3 cups, so I can make it again just for myself and not have to worry about eating for a week straight.

1 tsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 small to medium peeled sweet potatoes, in 1/2 in cubes (about 3 cups)

2 cups 1/2 inch cubed peeled pie pumpkin

1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cumin

1/8 tsp ground red pepper

sea salt and pepper

2 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1/2 cup evaporated milk

chopped cilantro, for garnish

Heat oil in a soup pot or large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion, celery for 3 minutes, add garlic and cook for 2 more. Add potatoes, pumpkin, seasonings and broth. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes, or until potatoes and pumpkin are soft.

Remove from heat and using a immersion blender, puree soup until completely smooth. Return to heat, add milk and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with cilantro.