Pumpkin Coconut Chai Bisque

It might sound like an odd combination but pumpkin tastes amazing with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, etc (all key spices in chai tea) so it made perfect sense to combine actual brewed chai into the soup, resulting in a winning addition. Plus, coconut milk is rich and creamy in taste, healthy and adds an amazing aroma and flavor to the bisque. Right now my home smells like pumpkin heaven and dinner tonight will bring the holidays home early

Now don’t get scared when you see the long list of ingredients! Prep time is very simple and takes less than 15 minutes to create a delicious harmony between all of the ingredients in your soup pot. The key to making a healthy bisque is to omit the traditional half and half or cream and butter that is commonly used and replace it with coconut milk and coconut oil. Of all the non-dairy milks and oils, coconut is by far one of the healthiest and is high in Medium-Chain fatty acids (MCFA’s are a healthy type of saturated fat that the body does not store as fat but rather burns as fuel and actually helps to break down excess stored fats!).

If you don’t have an already brewed chai then I would suggest adding 2 tea bags of chai to ½ cup of water for the bisque. Boil the water first and let the tea bags steep while preparing the veggies for the soup. I think that the best premade chai is Bridgit’s Chai – only because it is spicy, not too sweet and has no caffeine. If you use another brand of already brewed chai, look for one with the least amount of sweetener added.

Ingredients:

1½ medium sweet brown onions or 1 onion and one leek stalk, chopped
3 fresh garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp Coconut Aminos, Nama Shoyu or Tamari
3 large carrots or ½ pound of turnips
3 cups fresh pureed or canned, unsweetened pumpkin
1 cup low sodium vegetable broth
½ cup brewed chai or add 2 chai tea bags to ½ cup of hot water and steep for about 7-10 minutes
1½ cups unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup fresh corn
Spices: ¼ tsp thyme, ¼ tsp all spice, ¼ tsp cinnamon, just under 1/8 tsp cloves, ½ tsp vanilla extract, few dashes crushed chili flakes, few dashes white pepper
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp raw honey or yacon syrup
1 tsp Celtic Sea Salt

Directions:

In a large soup pot heat the Nama Shoyu or Aminos and about 1/3 cup of water over medium to high heat.
Add the chopped onion and sauté for about 5 minutes before adding the garlic and carrots or turnips.
Once the carrots are tender add the corn, coconut milk, vegetable broth and chai – stir well.
Mix in the pureed pumpkin and coconut oil into the soup and let sit for about 15 minutes.
Then add all of the spices, agave, and salt.
You can either puree immediately in a blender or I like to let the soup sit for another 15 minutes or more for the flavors to blend and absorb. Pour the entire soup contents (it will probably take 2 batches) into a blender and blend on high until smooth and creamy.
Pour back into the soup pot and taste to see if it needs any more seasonings added. Serve.
Tastes great topped with fresh chives, crumbled goat feta, or a small dollop of coconut oil.