Just do it.

Hello. It's been more than a while. If I wait any longer, I may never return to writing this blog. And it's not as if I haven't been thinking about it, on the contrary. But with all the time that has gone by, and all the events and moments and places and delicious things these past months have presented me with, I have started feeling as though when I finally sit down to write something here, it will have to be elaborate. It will have to be wow. And once I do it, I'll have to start doing the same once a day. Every day.

But a dear friend recently reminded me of baby steps., of the importance of letting go of disabling expectations and perfectionism, and just getting to it. So I will take her advice and waddle along here. There won't be many photos, and not too many words, but there will be soup, a lovely rich orange colored soup with Asian flavors, a spicy kick and a smooth creamy texture. And it's easy, too.

Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup with Coconut milk

1.5 kg pumpkin ( weight with peel ) peeled and cut into medium-small cubes

5 small sweet potatoes

6 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 hot green pepper- use as much or little as you like

1 stalk of lemon grass*

1 tbsp peeled chopped fresh ginger

1 can coconut milk*

a little oil, coconut or sunflower

 fresh lemon/lime juice

salt

To serve:

Cashew nuts, either lightly dry-pan roasted or not, chopped

fresh cilantro, chopped

In a large pot, warm oil over a medium flame. Add Garlic, diced hot pepper, ginger and lemon grass. Stir and cook for a few seconds- just till the mixture start giving off its scent. Add pumpkin and sweet potato cubes ( try and dice these in the same size, so they will cook evenly), cover and cook till vegetables become soft, stirring occasionally and taking care not to burn or brown the vegetables- this would make the soup a less bright and vibrant shade of orange, and you want it a beautiful orange. Cover with water, bring to boil and cook just till veggies are softened, not very long. Add coconut milk, cook for a few more minutes and remove from flame.Add a squeeze of lemon or lime juice and salt and let cool a little before removing lemon grass stalk and blending. Check seasoning and server with chopped cashew and cilantro.

* a few quick notes. If you are lucky and have a lemon grass bush growing in your yard or patio you can use fresh lemon grass, which can also be bought dry at Asian speciality shops and health food stores. You don't want the long green leaves, which you can set aside and use in tea, but the part just above ground, the base of the leaves, a white stalk about 8 cm long. from this stalk branch out several leaves. I cut the stalk I used into about two pieces before adding them to the pot.

Take a quick look at the ingredient list on the can of coconut milk and try to find one with no additives and preservatives. This is usually also a higher quality coconut milk, with higher fat percentages. Absolutely worth both the calories and the price.

Last note: this soup is delicious on the spicy side, so I wouldn't give up the hot pepper. That said, the pepper I used tricked me into believing that it wasn't that hot so I went ahead and threw the whole thing into the pot, seeds and all. Yikes. Adjust the amount of pepper you use according to just how spicy your particular pepper is and just how spicy you like your food. I used a green pepper, but I bet a red one would be just as nice.

Oh, and one more thing! you could trade the cashew-cilantro topping for roasted chopped peanuts and fresh scallions. Or you could mix and match. Good luck and happy cooking!

Have a warm, quiet, peaceful weekend, wherever you are.