By nutritional therapist Christine Bailey

Roasting pumpkin produces a rich, sweet, caramel flavour and when blended with butterbeans creates a wonderfully creamy, thick soup. If you are short of time then make use of bags of frozen chunks of pumpkin – saving you chopping and peeling time. Adding the apple gives the soup a lovely sweetness as well as providing soluble fibre to support blood sugar levels. You can use butternut squash instead of pumpkin if wished. This freezes well (up to 3 months) or will keep in the fridge for 3–4 days.

(serves 4)

Ingredients:
600g  pumpkin or butternut squash or prepared bag of butternut squash chunks
2 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cumin
600ml vegetable stock
1 apple, cored and chopped
1 x 400g tin butterbeans, rinsed and drained
Sea salt and black pepper

For the topping:
30g pumpkin seeds
Olive oil, for drizzling
Large pinch of ground cumin
Sea salt

Method:
Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan 180°C/gas mark 5.

If using a fresh pumpkin cut the pumpkin into wedges, reserving the seeds for the topping. Cut the wedges into 3cm cubes.

Place the pumpkin on a baking tray, drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes until soft, golden and caramelised. Leave to cool slightly then peel off the skins with your hands and discard. Set the roasted pumpkin aside and reduce the oven temperature to 180°C/fan 170°C/gas mark 4.

Meanwhile prepare the topping. If using a fresh pumpkin rinse the reserved seeds and then rub dry with a tea towel. Spread the seed out on a baking tray and drizzle with a little olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and cumin and mix well to coat the seeds. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes until lightly golden. Allow to cool.

Heat the coconut oil in a large pan over a medium heat and add the onion, carrot, garlic and spices. Sauté gently for 5 minutes then pour over the stock. Add the pumpkin, apple and butterbeans and simmer for 10 minutes until the apple is soft.

Using a food processor, blender or hand-held stick blender, purée the soup until thick and creamy. Ladle the soup into bowls then top with the spicy toasted pumpkin seeds.

Extracts taken from Go Lean Vegan by Christine Bailey.

Published by Yellow Kite, paperback £14.99.