Soup and Salad... a twist on the traditionals!

Sweet Beta-Carotine Soup
Time Start to Finish: 45 minutes

1/2 calabaza pumpkin
2 sweet potatoes
maple syrup
cinnamon
1/3 can coconut milk (try to use lite)
pumpkin seeds

Despite the vitamin-rich sounding title.... this soup is fabulous and truly a product of grocery shopping boredom. It really is loaded with Beta-Carotene (sweet potatoes and pumpkin!...so orange) and the slight sweetness makes it a great dessert or afternoon snack.

Slice the pumpkin into thin wedges and the sweet potato into rounds. Leave the skins on. Lightly sprinkly the sweet potato with cinnamon. On a baking sheet drizzle both with maple syrup and use your fingers to spread the syrup on all the pieces. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees till soft... for about 20 minutes. The syrup will slightly caramalize and give the veggies great flavour and colour.

Once the pumpkin and sweet potato are soft, remove the baking sheet from the oven and let cool. Remove the skin of the pumpkin. Leave the sweet potato skin on (extra fiber and flavour!). Take half of the mix and put in a blender or food processor. Add half of the coconut milk and blend thouroughly with a few tablespoons of water. Set the blended mix aside and continue to blend the other half of the pumpkin and sweet potato with the remaining coconut milk.

Once blended, put the mixture through a sieve to achieve a silky smooth texture. I actually used a pair of fishnets over a glass!... so you can definitely get creative. You can serve either warm or chilled... sprinkle a few pumpkin seeds on top for the final touch!

Ado-Ato Salad
Time Start to Finish: 10 minutes

1/2 head of lettuce, chopped
3/4 cup edamame, boiled and shelled
1/2 cup marinara sauce
1/3 cup hummus
1/2 avacADO
1/2 tomATO, chopped
1 sweet potATO

Boil and shell the edamame. Cook the sweet potato on the "potato" setting in the microwave and ice. Mix ingredients together and serve! How easy was that?