Pumpkin and Vegetable Soup -- an amazing Hearty Vegetable Soup in the crockpot

It's spring! But the damp weather and chilly wind make a hearty vegetable soup a fabulous thing. Because of only going for groceries every couple of weeks right now due to the pandemic, we're keeping things like cabbage, celery, carrots, and sweet potatoes in the house because they last a long time. They are also fabulous for making soup.

I've got to tell you something about this soup: It's making my kitchen smell freaking amazing. And my kid keeps wandering over and peeking into the crockpot and telling me how good it looks. It's brothy, and chunky, and full of little morsels of delight.

I've got a crockpot  -- I've had one for years -- and it's  been a fixture in my soup making since the dawn of time.  This recipe is specifically design for the crockpot, and I layer in the ingredients in the order listed.

I usually use my crockpot on high for such dishes, and after about 4 hours, the food is pretty perfect. Like with any soup of this nature, however, the flavours also meld over night, and reheated leftovers the next day are aces.

You can also make this soup on the stove top, perhaps sautéing the onions before adding the other ingredients, and then simmering everything until nicely cooked and delicious.

Once the soup is finished, that's when I add the peas because they definitely don't need cooking. If you are serving right away, this can also be a great way to cool it down quickly for kids. Today I'm also going to add some soy noodles -- I've got some made from black soy beans, so the colour contrast will be fun.

For fun, I'll be serving this will raw veggie sticks (cucumber, celery, and carrots), and freshly baked, gluten free bagels.

equipment needed:

crockpot
cutting board
knife
kettle (to heat water for soup -- optional -- this shortens the length of time it takes for the crockpot to reach cooking temperature
measuring spoons
measuring cups


ingredients:

A)

1/2 coconut butter
1 large onion (diced)
4 leaves nappa cabbage (diced)
4 leaves green cabbage (diced)
1 cup celery hearts (diced)
1 cup carrot (diced) (1 large)
1 cup cremini mushrooms (diced)
1 cup sweet potato (asian) (diced)

1/4  cup dried apricots (diced)

B)
1 cup soy curls
1 cup green edamame (no shell)

C)
4 tsp himalayan salt (+ or -)
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp granulated garlic

D)
1 can pumpkin puree
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
6 cups water (hot if possible)

E)
2 cups green peas, frozen (allowed to defrost), to be added when the heat is turned off on the crockpot

F)
soy bean noodles, cooked and set aside (add some to each bowl before serving)



directions:

1. in the order listed, turn on your crockpot to high, and layer your ingredients into your crockpot, in the order listed. Pour the hot water over everything once you've done the layering. This will help distribute the spices and seasonings.
2. reserve the green peas and cooked soy bean noodles
3. set the timer for 4 hours
4. after four hours, check and see if it's done. If it's not done, cook for longer. If it's done, turn it off, and add the peas.
5. serve (optional) with cooked soy bean noodles