Roasted sweet potato & carrot soup with pumpkin seeds

Fall season makes me think of soups, stews, pots of chili and maybe even tuna noodle casseroles. I'm craving simple foods that don't take too much time to put together and are a great resource for leftovers.

I had a few sweet potatoes in my refrigerator, some carrots, and a can of coconut milk. Why not make soup, I thought? And so I roasted the vegetables with a few spices, added some coconut milk and chicken broth and pureed the mixture till it was perfectly smooth. For a bit of texture I added roasted and salted pumpkin seeds. What's not to like? You can serve this simple soup at your Thanksgiving table as first course or sip it while you are basting the turkey.

Roasted sweet potato & carrot soup with pumpkin seeds

Ingredients
2 sweet potatoes, peeled, cubed
4 carrots, peeled, chopped into the same size as sweet potato cubes
salt & pepper
olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 can coconut milk {Note: I used lite coconut milk because that's what I had: do not make the same mistake. It leaves a slightly sweet and artificial flavor in your mouth.}
1 cup chicken broth
garnish: roasted and salted pumpkin seeds

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425. Combine sweet potatoes and carrots with oil and spices. Roast in single layer on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet for about 40 minutes.

  

2. In a blender combine roasted vegetables, coconut milk and chicken broth. Puree till smooth. Reheat the soup slowly in a heavy bottomed pot. Serve soup in bowls garnished with pumpkin seeds.

You can make similar soup with butternut squash, pumpkin or just use carrots or sweet potatoes by themselves.

Have you made a pureed soup lately? If so, which ingredients did you use? Please share!