Pumpkin Soup!

I made this soup last night, and it is the perfect meal for the chilly nights of Fall! I am on a squash kick right now with all of the Fall produce, and this soup has great pumpkin flavor, with a spicy zip from the roasted jalapeno and the pepper sauce -- it's a zingy surprise for your taste buds! Serve it with some toasty bread and a salad for a delicious, healthy meal! It also freezes and reheats well. It's pouring rain here today, so I'll be warming up with this soup for lunch at work -- yum!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, crushed

3/4 cup of carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

5-6 cups chicken stock (or water)

2 1/2-3 cups pumpkin puree (not flavored pie filling)

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cloves (if whole, add before blending; if ground, add with rest of spices)

3/4 teaspoon crushed ginger

3/4 teaspoon nutmeg

5 tablespoons agave nectar

1 small, whole roasted jalapeno pepper

A few dashes of Tabasco, or your favorite hot pepper sauce (optional -- the roasted jalapeno adds a good amount of heat, so be sparing with this!)

3/4 cup plain yogurt

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Garnish: sliced chives/green onions, plain yogurt, toasted pecans/walnuts, chopped dried cranberries

Directions

Heat the butter in a medium stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery and cook until soft. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Add the cloves (if whole) and the jalapeno pepper. (A note on the pepper: add the pepper flesh, and blend, then check the heat; if desired, add half the seeds, blend, and check the heat again. If desired, add remaining seeds and blend.)Blend soup (with a hand blender or in small batches in a blender) until smooth, and whisk in the pumpkin puree, ginger, and agave nectar. Add the spices, and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, then simmer for 15 minutes. Taste, and adjust seasonings as desired. Remove from the heat and whisk in 1/4 cup of the yogurt, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with sliced chives/green onions, plain yogurt, toasted pecans/walnuts, and chopped dried cranberries.