Peanut Butter & Jelly Pie

Peanut Butter & Jelly Pie

The Jewish holiday of Shavuot starts this weekend so how about a new pie recipe! Peanut Butter & Jelly Pie!

I love this one because it’s completely no-bake, which is perfect for these 90+ degree days. No baking, no water bath, no dirtying up a half dozen mixing bowls. For this recipe, I made a homemade crust (it came out a bit too thick though), but I just mixed 1 1/2 cups of almond flour, about 1/3 cup of softened butter and few tablespoons of sweetener and pressed it into a greased pie plate. But let’s make this even easier and use a store-bought pie crust.

The filling is just cream cheese (but make sure you plan ahead and leave it on your counter for a few hours to soften), sour cream (because I love the tanginess it brings), peanut butter and sweetener. Topped with strawberry jelly (you can use either homemade or store-bought) and whipped cream! This dessert certainly tastes like childhood. You could even be EXTRA and drizzle chocolate sauce over the top. #YUM.

And that’s all she wrote. An easy, no-bake pie, perfect for those hot summer nights, for Shavuot or really anytime of the year.

Chag Sameach, ya’ll!

Click here for more Shavuot recipes!

5 from 1 vote
Peanut Butter & Jelly Pie
Course: Dessert
Author: Rachel Katzman
Ingredients
  • 1 9-inch Graham Cracker Pie Crust Or make your own! I combined 1 1/2 cups almond flour, 1/3 cup of softened butter and 2 tbsp. sugar substitute and pressed that into a pie plate!
  • 1 Package of cream cheese, softened
  • 2 tbsp. Sour Cream
  • 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar I use the brand Swerve, for a sugar-free alternative
  • 1/3 cup Peanut Butter I like the Kirkland brand from Costco since it's just peanuts and salt - no other additives!
  • 2 cups Strawberry Jelly I used Walden Farms brand which is sugar-free
  • 2 cups Whipped Cream
  • Chopped peanuts for garnish Optional
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, sour cream, peanut butter and powdered sweetener. The consistently will look like mousse.

  2. Spoon into the pie crust, spread a thick layer of strawberry jelly and whipped cream

  3. Cover and chill in the fridge for a few hours or up to overnight

  4. Add some chopped peanuts as garnish and serve cold. YUM!

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cornbread

As promised, here’s a new recipe to add to your Thanksgiving collection! What better way to ring in a Thanksgiving feast then pulling out a cast iron pan to make my (gluten-free) Pumpkin Cornbread! And it just feels so right to marry these two together. Just a disclaimer here, I didn’t end up using a full can of pumpkin puree because it made the cornbread a bit dense. But if you like that or you don’t want to save the excess pumpkin in your fridge, by all means, go for it.

And since usually when we all look up recipes online, we skip the text and scroll right to the recipe, so here ya go! Keeping this short and sweet, because well, pumpkin cornbread doesn’t need all the extra fanfare. We all know it’s delish. Just add some honey (or honey butter) on top, and it’s autumn perfection.

Enjoy!

Check out some other MYV Thanksgiving recipes here! And one of my personal favorites…

Ginger Lime Cranberry Sauce

0 from 0 votes
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cornbread
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
 
Course: Side
Servings: 8 servings
Author: Rachel Katzman
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups Cornmeal
  • 1 cup Almond Flour
  • 1 tbsp Baking Powder
  • 3/4 tsp Sea Salt
  • Dash of Cinnamon I didn't measure here, I just sprinkled some in! You could also add in some ginger too for a kick!
  • 1 cup Pumpkin Puree Not pumpkin pie filling
  • 1 cup Almond Milk
  • 1/3 cup Oil I used Avocado oil for its neutral flavor but you can also use olive oil or (refined) coconut oil. The refined coconut oil tastes less "coconutty". Or you could use butter if you're making this dairy
  • 1/3 cup Honey
  • 2 Eggs
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350F.

  2. In a large bowl, mix all of of the dry ingredients together

  3. In a separate large bowl, mix the wet ingredients together

  4. Add the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and make sure not to overmix

  5. Lightly grease a cast iron pan and pour in the batter and smooth around the pan using your hands or the back of a spoon

  6. Bake for 30-35 minutes

  7. Cut into slices and drizzle with honey if desired. I like it best served warm, especially because the honey sinks into the cornbread, YUM! Or, if you're making this dairy, you could mix a little softened butter with honey and add a pat of honey butter to the top of your slice!

Cocoa Nib Biscotti

My Happy Place

Does reading cookbooks make you happy like it does for me?  I could spend hours flipping through the pages, imagining how I could put my own spin on the recipes.

A few weeks ago, I came across Laura Frankel’s “Jewish Cooking for All Seasons” that was tucked away in my bookshelf.  The recipe that stood out to me was her Cocoa Nib Biscotti – and I decided THIS was one I was going to recreate.

Crunchy Goodness

What the heck are these cocoa nibs exactly?  Well, they’re small pieces of crushed up cocoa beans – think unsweetened chocolate chips. After the cocoa is harvested, they’re fermented then “cracked” into these small pieces, a.k.a. cocoa nibs!

They have a chocolately but slightly bitter flavor. I happen to love mixing them into yogurt, maybe with some almond butter and berries, but if you’re not used to the bitterness, make sure to add some sweetness to balance it out.

The “Rachel” Version

Full disclosure – not all recipes can be easily swapped for almond flour with the regular all-purpose flour.  But I decided to try it out and lo and behold, it worked! It was delicious, but not TOO hard and crunchy. You know when you have to dip your biscotti into hot coffee because you could risk breaking a tooth?  No worries here, because these turned out with the perfect texture.  They would also be delicious with shredded coconut, or swapping the vanilla extract for maple extract! And of course, if you don’t want to hunt for cocoa nibs (I get mine at Whole Foods), use chocolate chips, or sliced almonds instead. 🙂

As the weather starts to get colder (I know, it saddens me that summer is leaving us), these are a great option for a dessert, or maybe for your Rosh Hashanah table, as a nice break from the traditional honey cake.  Or when the weather gets REALLY cold, by all means – dunk those in a big mug of hot chocolate and get cozy.  Hello, comfort food!

And of course, thank you to Laura for the inspiration.  Enjoy!

________________________________________________________________

Check out some more dessert recipes from MYV!

Lemon Coconut Almond Cake

Coffee Coconut Date Balls

Chocolate Avocado Pudding (trust me, it’s GOOD)

Dairy-free Maple Cinnamon Custard

Almond Butter Snickerdoodles

0 from 0 votes
Cocoa Nib Biscotti
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
 
Course: Dessert
Author: Rachel Katzman
Ingredients
  • 2 1/2 cups Almond flour
  • 3/4 cup Sugar (or sugar substitute, like Swerve or Stevia)
  • 1 1/2 tsp Baking powder
  • 3 Large eggs
  • 1 Lemon, zested and juiced
  • 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
  • 1 cup Cocoa nibs (or just use chocolate chips if you prefer)
  • 1/4 tsp + 1 pinch Ground cinnamon
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper

  2. Place all ingredients except the cocoa nibs in a large bowl and mix with either a wooden spoon, or using a hand mixer, blend until dough comes together

  3. Add in the cocoa nibs and mix until combined

  4. Shape into a loaf and score into 1/2 inch thick slices (or as many slices as you prefer)

  5. Bake for 30 minutes until starting to get lightly golden brown

  6. Slice the biscotti and place each slice back on the baking sheet

  7. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top and bake for another 10 minutes until crispy and golden brown

Israeli Shawarma Feta Salad

Meatless Monday – a great go-to salad

Shawarma, really?  During the 9 days of no meat?  This may sound a bit out of your comfort zone, but this fresh and easy Israeli Shawarma Feta Salad has warm, aromatic flavors of Shawarma without the meat.  This is a great way to incorporate some bright summer flavors into a healthy salad during the 9 days or any time of year!

What is “shawarma” you ask? Basically what my husband lived on during his year and a half in Israel, HA!

Shawarma is a Middle Eastern dish consisting of thinly sliced meat layered and slow roasted on a rotisserie or spit. You can get lamb, chicken, or beef shawarma stuffed into a pita or a laffa with all the fixings! Hummus, tahini, Israeli salad, cabbage salad, pickles and fries – yes, please! The “shawarma” seasoning usually is a mix of turmeric, coriander, cumin, paprika, cloves, nutmeg, allspice and sometimes cinnamon.  Basically, a warming spice blend that pairs perfectly with a salty cheese like feta, in today’s salad! You can buy shawarma seasoning at your local kosher supermarket, or (if you’re not feeling lazy), make your own spice blend!

I first got the idea for this salad while flipping through an older issue of “Eating Well” – just a simple, fresh summer salad with feta and herbs.  But as I was literally chopping the veggies to make this salad, I had a light-bulb moment.  Why not turn this into a spin on Israeli salad? Since I was half-way there, I added the radish for a hint of that sharp flavor and crunch and swapped red onion for green onion to make it milder.  But if you’re a red onion fiend like me, feel free to add it! And for the final touches, adding shawarma seasoning to the dressing made it the perfect, Mediterranean-kissed bite of yummy goodness.

The extras

This would also be good with some diced avocado, goat cheese instead of the feta, or even sun-dried tomatoes mixed in too.

I love cilantro (but you can substitute parsley of course).  If you ARE going to use cilantro, don’t forget about the stems!  That’s where all the flavor is, not primarily the leaves, as most people might think. How great not to waste time picking the leaves off – just chop everything up and you’ll get an even bigger burst of citrus flavor that cilantro brings to the party! And weirdly enough, I think I am in that percentage of people who thinks that cilantro tastes “soapy”, but yet for some reason, I love it.

The base of a well-rounded meal

This salad is so versatile, it’s the perfect base for a filling meal.  Add some grilled salmon or tofu on top for some bonus protein.  Or, go ahead and omit the feta and add in some grilled chicken. I make shawarma chicken for my husband all the time, it’s such an easy go-to Friday night dish.

Last but not least, make sure to use fresh dill, it really makes all the difference.  Serve with some lemon wedges, maybe some pita chips on the side and this is a healthy meatless, 9-days salad to keep your taste buds satisfied!

Want more salad ideas?  Check out my Herby Cabbage Salad, another healthy option during the 9 days too!

 

0 from 0 votes
Israeli Shawarma Feta Salad
Prep Time
15 mins
 
Course: Salad
Author: Rachel Katzman
Ingredients
  • 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes, sliced
  • 1 cup Cucumber, chopped
  • 3 Green onions, sliced thin
  • 1 cup Radish, sliced thin
  • 1 Handful of chopped fresh dill
  • 1 Handful of chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
  • 2 oz. Crumbled Feta
  • 1/4 cup Mayo
  • 1/2 Lemon, squeezed (and for serving)
  • 1/2 tsp. Shawarma seasoning
  • 1/4 tsp. Salt
  • 1/4 tsp. Pepper
Instructions
  1. Add the tomatoes, cucumber, green onion, radish, dill, parsley or cilantro and feta in a large bowl

  2. In a bowl, mix the mayo, lemon juice (same some for serving), shawarma seasoning, salt and pepper

  3. Pour the dressing over the salad and squeeze a bit more lemon over the salad

  4. Serve with some lemon wedges on the side and crunchy pita chips!

Spinach Ravioli With Alfredo Sauce

Spinach RavioliWelcome Home

We sent my eldest son to sleep away camp for the first time this year.  While my wife was nervous about him being away from home, he was very excited to be free from chores for a month. He spent four weeks enjoying himself, playing a lot of sports, making new friends, and going on a lot of trips, but as everyone knows, camp food can be somewhat basic. Now I am sure he was well fed (the chef is a friend of mine), but I wanted to make something special for his first dinner back home. That being said, while my son is not the world’s most adventurous eater, he does really like spinach ravioli. He encountered it at a Sheva Brachot at a restaurant several years ago and has loved the dish ever since.

The Nine Days

I also wanted find a recipe to share that was vegetarian, which I know is usually Rachel’s domain, but the “Nine Days” are approaching at the end of this week. What are the  “Nine Days” you ask and what does it have to do with vegetarian food? On the Jewish calendar, the Nine Days which begin on the first day of the Jewish month of Av, are a traditional time of mourning for several historical tragedies that befell the Jewish people. They culminate with the saddest day on the Jewish calendar, a fast day known as Tisha Ba’Av. As a sign of mourning, many Jews have a tradition to abstain from eating meat during this period. Spinach ravioli fit this bill nicely.

Yes It Is Worth The Effort

Why make your own spinach ravioli when you can just buy it in a box from the freezer section of your favorite supermarket? Sure, it’s time consuming, but it is fairly easy and if you take the time, your family will be able to taste the love you put in it. Also, when it comes to making things from scratch, pasta will impress people with minimal effort.  It also cooks very quickly, so once they are formed you can have them on the table in two minutes. You can also make a large batch and freeze them on a cookie sheet and pull out a handful and cook just what you need, at a fraction of the price of buying them in the store.

0 from 0 votes
Spinach Ravioli
Homemade Spinach Ravioli With Alfredo Sauce
Prep Time
2 hrs
Cook Time
30 mins
Resting Time
1 hr
Total Time
3 hrs 30 mins
 

This a great way to get your kids to eat their spinach. There is spinach in the dough, filling and sauce. Is it a lot of work? Yes. Is it worthwhile? Absolutely. Don't try to rush this recipe. This is a recipe that you should devote a Sunday to. With a little time and a lot of love, your pasta will come out great.

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Pasta
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: pasta, ravioli, spinach
Servings: 4 Servings
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
Dough
  • 1 bunch Fresh Spinach About 1/2 pound. Washed, stems trimmed, and roughly chopped.
  • 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
  • 3 Eggs
  • 2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 2 tbsp Butter
  • 2 tsp Salt
Filling
  • 2 tbsp Butter
  • 1 Large Onion Diced
  • 1 Bunch Fresh Spinach About 1/2 pound. Washed, stems trimmed, and roughly chopped.
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 15 oz Ricotta Cheese
Sauce
  • 3 tbsp Butter
  • 3 Cloves Garlic Chopped fine
  • 3 tbsp All Purpose Flour
  • 2 Cups Heavy Cream
  • 1/2 Cup Parmesan Grated
  • Salt and Pepper To taste
  • 1 Bunch Fresh Spinach About 1/2 pound. Washed, stems trimmed, and roughly chopped.
Miscellaneous
  • 1 Large Egg Beaten
  • All Purpose Flour To keep the pasta from sticking
Instructions
Dough
  1. Add half the butter to a large saute pan and place over medium heat. Saute spinach until it is wilted. Do not overcook the spinach as it will shrink down significantly. Move the spinach to bowl and allow it to cool.

  2. Once the spinach is cooled, use your hands to squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Catch the liquid in a bowl and reserve for later.

  3. Add the spinach to your food processor fitted with the S-blade and process until the spinach is smooth. If you are having trouble getting the spinach to puree to a smooth consistency slowly add the liquid from the spinach back into the mixture.

  4. Once the spinach is smooth, switch to the dough blade and add the flour, eggs and oil. Process until the dough comes to together in to a ball. If it looks a little dry add some more or the spinach liquid or some water. Be careful not to over process otherwise your dough will be tough.

  5. Remove the dough from the food processor to the a lightly floured counter. If the dough still looks a little shaggy, knead by hand until a smooth ball is formed. Once the dough forms a smooth ball, wrap tightly in plastic and put in the refrigerator to rest for at least as hour.

Filling
  1. Add the butter to a saute pan and put over medium heat. Add the onions and salt to pan and saute until the onions start to brown. Add the spinach and saute until the spinach is wilted.

  2. Move the spinach and onion mixture to a large bowl and allow to cool. Once cooled, add the ricotta and stir until the spinach is evenly distributed throughout the mixture.

Sauce
  1. Add the butter and garlic to a large saute pan. Once the butter is melted, add the flour. Stir, coating all of the flour and cook until the mixture just begins to brown. This mixture is called a roux.

  2. Add the cream, Parmesan, salt, and pepper to the roux. Stir to combine, making sure to get all of the roux off of the bottom of the pan so it does not burn.

  3. Bring the sauce to a bare simmer being careful not to allow it to boil, and add the spinach. The sauce is done once the spinach is wilted.

Assembly and Final Cooking
  1. Roll out the pasta dough into two long sheets. Use a pasta roller if you have one, it it will make your life much easier. Start on the widest setting, moving one interval thinner each time. You can use a rolling pin if you don't have a pasta roller but your dough will likely be thicker, changing the texture.

  2. Place one of the sheets on a lightly floured counter. Starting about an inch from the end put a teaspoon of filling every two inches centered vertically.

  3. Brush egg along the edges and between each mound of filling. Carefully place the the second sheet of dough on top. Press the top sheet down over around the filling, pushing out any air.

  4. Trim the edges with a pastry cutter or a sharp knife to make sure you have straight edges and cut between each ravioli evenly.

  5. Place a large pot of heavily salted water over high heat. Once the water comes to boil, add the raviolis in batches. Cook until they float to the surface. It should only take about a minute.

  6. Remove the raviolis from the water to a bowl or plate with a slotted spoon. Add as much sauce as you like, and eat immediately.

Don’t forget to check out Rachel’s latest “Nine Days” recipe, Wild Salmon Sweet Potato Sliders with Garlic Chive Mayo or any of our vegetarian recipes.

Lemon Coconut Almond Cake

Lemon Coconut Almond Cake!

Happy Sunday and hope you all are enjoying a great Memorial Day weekend! Even though tomorrow is most commonly a day of BBQ’s, beach and a day off, we observe this day to remember and honor the fallen who have served our country so bravely.  Just some food for thought on this holiday weekend… 🙂

No lacking of deliciousness here

And now, back to the food!  I’m always looking to create easy recipes and this Lemon Coconut Almond Cake would be a perfect ending to your picnic or BBQ – maybe even with some dairy-free vanilla ice cream on top!  It’s pretty clear that I LOVE this combination of lemon and coconut (hopefully you’re not sick of it yet)! I love that this cake is dairy-free, gluten-free, and keto-friendly and no special equipment required.  Just a mixing bowl, a pie pan and an oven.  And while it may be hot and sticky where you are (though it’s been chilly and rainy here in Chicago since, uh, March) yes this recipe requires baking, but don’t worry, I have plenty more summer-friendly no-bake recipes coming your way soon!

The “M” word

Now, the only way to really describe how delicious this cake is, is to use the “M” word.  My family is probably laughing hysterically reading this, but you know… that word that starts with “m” as you describe the non-dryness of cake?  Honestly, it’s my least favorite word, but I get it – there’s just no other word that truly describes the inside of the cake (words like “drenched” or “water-logged” are hilariously no-go’s for the description), but here goes nothing.  This cake is moist.  There, I said it!  (ugh shake it off, Rachel, just shake it off…)

Husband approval?

I like to have my husband try out my recipes, especially gluten-free goodies, because he’s definitely not without his opinions.  Usually, gluten-free baked goods can be crumbly and dry, but this is quite the opposite!  It has a sweet, crunchy topping, almost like a glaze because of the caramelized sugar on top and the cake holds together quite nicely – so much so that you can pick it up and eat it with your hands!

Easy peasy, lemon cake squeezy!

I found a version of this recipe in a keto cookbook by Warrior Made I have, but I like the addition of the lemon extract, instead of the almond extract (or use vanilla if you have that on hand). As my husband said, “the lemon gives it a nice tartness but not too overpowering”.  Holla, I’ll take that compliment!

Don’t have any extract on hand?  Use fresh lemons instead!  Out of coconut oil?   Use real butter if you have it!  And if you use butter, maybe serve this for Shavuot instead of your BBQ, since the dairy version would be a perfect, lighter ending to your Shavuot meal.  Not that there is anything wrong with ending a meal with cheesecake. 🙂

Enjoy!  And Happy Weekend ya’ll!

PS – want to try some similar recipes? Check out my lemon blueberry crumb cake on my other blog, riskyveggie!

 

0 from 0 votes
Lemon Coconut Almond Cake
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
40 mins
Total Time
50 mins
 
Course: Dessert
Author: Rachel Katzman
Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup Almond flour
  • 1/4 cup Unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/4 tsp Lemon extract
  • 2/3 cup Sugar (or sugar substitute like Swerve)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 4 Eggs
  • 1/2 cup Coconut oil, melted
  • 1/8 cup Brown sugar (or brown sugar substitute, like Swerve)
  • 1/8 cup Sliced almonds
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 350F.

  2. Grease a 9-inch pie pan and line with parchment paper

  3. In a bowl, mix all ingredients except the brown sugar sweetener and sliced almonds and stir until combined and no lumps remain

  4. Pour the batter into the pan

  5. In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar sweetener and sliced almonds together and sprinkle on top

  6. Bake for 35-40 min, or until golden brown

  7. Let the cake cool for about 20 minutes, slice and serve. Would be delish with vanilla ice cream!

Curried Pumpkin Bisque

It’s official.  The temperature is dropping and the leaves are slowly turning their bright orange – but how do you know fall is REALLY here?  Well, of course, the aroma of pumpkin spice lattes filling the air like a thick cloud! Pumpkin spice lovers, rejoice!

And as we prepare for the festival of Sukkot that starts this evening, so what a perfect way to bring in the official first few days of fall with…you guessed it – PUMPKIN!  I know you may be rolling your eyes thinking “ugh, another pumpkin recipe?  Really?”  But this one is just slightly different.  Think of sweet and creamy pumpkin with a touch of heat and warm aromatic spices.  This is not your typical overly-sweetened pumpkin pie or pumpkin latte.  No, this is pumpkin kicked up a notch!

When I was in college, I became a little obsessed with making soups.  So much so that my roommate bought me a soup-only cookbook!  I think with the craziness of being a full-time college student and working jobs and internships that forced me to make easy dishes that I could make in huge batches and freeze for later.  I loved being able to make this in advance and have friends over for Shabbat dinner, serving up giant bowls of soup like this one, or my Mexican Tortilla Soup (that one was a bit hit).  And even better, anything that you can make in just one pot is always a win in my book.  And this soup would be great if you froze it to serve later.

Quick Tip

Here’s a quick freezer tip:  Add the soup in a plastic zip top bag and lay it flat in the freezer (labeled with the content and date, of course) – it makes it easier to store, versus a bulky container!

Fun fact!  Did you know that about 10 years ago, I started writing a cookbook?  Of course it was titled “Risky Veggie” but I decided to turn it into a blog (well, now technically it morphed into TWO blogs of course), but this soup is one of the recipes from that project – granted it’s been tweaked just slightly over the years.  And thank you to my very talented sister Avi, for taking this photo! Maybe one day I’ll get start up again on that cookbook… but in the meantime, here at Meat Your Vegetables, we’d like to wish everyone a chag sameach and Happy Sukkot!

0 from 0 votes
Curried Pumpkin Bisque
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Total Time
1 hr
 
Servings: 4 people
Author: Rachel Katzman
Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp. cumin seeds
  • 1 white onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 tsp. salt Add more, to taste
  • 1/4 tsp. white pepper
  • 1 15 oz. can of pumpkin puree NOT pumpkin pie filling
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar, or coconut sugar Feel free to use any other sugar substitute, like "Swerve" or Stevia
  • 1/4 tsp. ginger
  • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. cloves
  • 1/4 tsp. allspice
  • 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper Add more/less depending on how spicy you like it. Make sure to taste as you go along and adjust seasoning to how you like it!
  • 1/2 tsp. curry powder
  • 1/2 cup non-dairy milk (almond, coconut cream, cashew, oat) If making this dairy, feel free to add heavy cream instead
  • 1/2 cup vegetable stock Use store-bought or homemade - whatever you have on hand!
  • 2 tbsp. lemon juice For some brightness
  • 1/4 cup chives, minced (optional) For garnish. Or, you can use popcorn!
Instructions
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.

  2. Add the cumin seeds and toast for 1 minute, making sure not to burn.

  3. Add the onion, garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes.

  4. Add the ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, cayenne, curry powder, salt and pepper, and toast the spices for another 2 minutes.

  5. Add the pumpkin puree, vegetable stock (or you can use chicken stock, if you're making this for a fleishig meal), and light brown sugar . Taste the soup and adjust seasonings if needed.

  6. Simmer the soup for 45 minutes on low-medium until all of the flavors meld together.

  7. Using a handheld immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth.  If you don't have an immersion blender, you can ladle the soup into a few batches into your blender - make sure not to fill your blender to the top, as you want some heat to escape.  

  8. Pour the soup back in the pot (if using a blender), and add the non-dairy milk (or heavy cream, if making a milchig meal) and lemon juice. 

  9. Ladle into bowls and garnish with freshly snipped chives, or sprinkle with parve popcorn!