Taste of Fall

My mums are finally blooming!

Fall is my most favorite time of the year!  The weather is lovely, the colors are absolutely stunning and food just seems to taste better.  And of course you can't forget Hawkeye football!

I recently found a recipe via allrecipes.com that I tweaked a bit and had to share it!  It sounds a little weird to those of us who are steak and potato kind of folks, but by-golly it is damn delicious.  Best part? SO EASY!

Pumpkin & Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:

2 T EVOO

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 C low-sodium beef stock

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, in juice

2-3 cans black beans, drained

2 cans (15 oz) pumpkin puree

1.5 C heavy cream

1 T curry powder

1.5 t ground cumin

1/2 t cayenne pepper

salt

Directions:

Heat a soup pot over medium heat.  Add oil and saute onions for five minutes.  Add broth, tomatoes, black beans and pumpkin puree.  Stir to combine ingredients and bring soup to a boil.  (Be careful - prone to splatter).  Reduce heat to medium low and stir in cream, curry, cumin, cayenne and salt, to taste.  Simmer five minutes and adjust seasonings as needed.  Serve and garnish with chives (if desired).

I used canned tomatoes from my mother-in-law's garden instead of canned.  The original recipe also only called for 1 can of black beans and that was not near enough in my opinion. I would say use 2 or 3 depending on how much you love fiber.  I served the soup with some homemade biscuits and it was a hit with my hubs. 

This soup is so hearty!  It is excellent reheated and I have received many inquires and compliments on it at work!