David Robert Lambert

And you thought these were just for decorations!

MINI-PUMPKIN SOUP

1. Slice pumpkins and remove seeds (reserve seeds for garnish)
2. Bake pumpkins in foil-covered dish with 1″ of water for 1-hour at 350 degrees
3. Meanwhile, separate the seeds from the fibrous strands and soak in salt water for 15 minutes
4. Bake seeds in toaster oven for 30 minutes at 325 degrees or until they are browned and crunchy
5. Scrape pumpkin meat away from the skin (mini-pumpkins above made 2.5 cups)
6. Make roux of 1/2 stick butter, 1/4 cup flour, 1 cup vegetable bouillon, 1 cup milk or half & half
7. Add pumpkin meat, season with 1/2 t. salt, 1/2 t. ground cinnamon, 1/2 t. ground nutmeg 1/4 t. ground cloves to taste
8. Transfer to blender and puree; if too thick, add more milk or half & half
9. Return to roux pot to reheat or store soup in the fridge and reheat later or serve chilled
10. Serve in small bowls; garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds and a sprinkle of nutmeg or cinnamon to taste

Food Day hashtags: #greenmeal #foodday2015 #EatGreenMoCo

In honor of Food Day this year (officially held on Saturday, October 24th), the Montgomery County Food Council’s Food Literacy Working Group encourages local residents to cook a fresh, healthy, vegetable-centered meal and enjoy it with your family, friends, colleagues, or neighbors. Snap and share a photo of your meal during the week leading up to Food Day and join our media campaign!

The Food Council will be tweeting, gramming, and posting on Facebook and our blog the week of October 20th to share our commitment to this effort. Please help us raise awareness on social media using the official Food Day hashtags, #greenmeal and #foodday2015, and tagging @mocofoodcouncil. Throughout October we will feature resources, recipes, and local Food Day event information on our website and Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts. Please follow us and help to get others involved by sharing, liking, and retweeting our Food Day posts and photos.

Please share this widely! We’d love to see everyone- schools, farms, businesses, hospitals, governmental groups, non-profits, and individuals- participate and spread the word about greening our plates to improve our health and the health of our planet.

Follow us and share!:
Web: http://www.mocofoodcouncil.org
Facebook: facebook.com/mocofoodcouncil
Twitter: MoCoFoodCouncil
Instagram: MoCoFoodCouncil