SMOKED PAPRIKA PUMPKIN SOUP WITH ROASTED BEET DRIZZLE

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Hmmm, Smoked Paprika gives a wonderfully rich taste to any of your kitchen creations! “Mother Nature” is smart by giving us clues about which foods can help our health. Paprika is fiery red, which makes us think of hot and inflamed, yet paprika helps exactly that! Paprika is made by grinding capsicum peppers into a fine powder. It is anti-inflammatory, helping prevent weight gain, cardiovascular disease, arthritis and cancer. Complimented by lutein, zeaxanthin and carotenoids, which gives paprika its deep red colour. Paprika also helps your eyes. The American Optometric Association recommends 12 milligrams daily of these carotenoids. Each serving of paprika has 11 % of this goal for your *daily needs. Just one tablespoon of paprika also contains 3349 international units of vitamin A—more than 100% of your *daily needs. So don’t forget to add a tablespoon of smoked paprika to your next soup, salad or stew!

Power Food: Smoked Paprika

Prep. & Cook Time: 28 min. |  Total Time: 28 min. | Servings: 4 | Serving Size: 2 cups

Free From: Gluten, Dairy, Soy

Ingredients:

  • 1 beet, cubed
  • 4 ¼ cup vegetable stock (low sodium & gluten free), divided
  • 1 onion, minced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika (sweet or hot)
  • 1 tsp. each: ground cumin & ground coriander
  • 4 cups pumpkin, chopped or 1-28 oz. can pumpkin puree, unsweetened (not pie filling)
  • sea salt & pepper to taste
  • ¼ cup coconut yogurt, unsweetened (gluten & dairy free), to garnish
  • ¼ cup pumpkin seeds (soaked overnight), to garnish
  • ¼ cup cilantro , minced for garnish

 

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 ºF. Place beet on a parchment lined baking sheet, drizzle with ¼ cup stock, and roast beets for 10 minutes or until soft.
  2. Add ¼ cup more of the stock to a large stockpot on medium heat. Add onion, garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, and coriander and healthy sauté for 2-3 minutes or until onions are soft. Next, add pumpkin, salt, and pepper to taste. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Use a hand immersion blender or transfer batches of soup to a blender and blend until smooth.
  3. Put roasted beets in a blender and puree until smooth. Set aside.
  4. Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle with coconut yogurt and roasted beet puree. Top with pumpkin seeds and cilantro to garnish.

 

Nutritional Facts: Calories 154 | Total Fat 0.3 g |  Saturated Fat 0.1 g|  Monounsaturated Fat0 g |   Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1 g |  Cholesterol 0 mg |  Sodium390 mg|   Potassium 544 mg | Total Carbohydrate29.4 g |  Natural Sugar 8.8 g|  Dietary Fibre 7 g|  Protein 4.5 g| *Vitamin A  499.9  % | * Vitamin C 43.1 %  | * Manganese 21.3%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.