It's the Great Pumpkin (Soup) Charlie Brown!

Though summer is approaching - we've still had some chilly nights earlier in the month down in the upper 30's low 40's.  A good night for soup and sandwiches (especially in that my favorite bread - Dave's Killer Bread has shown up in WalMarts in Chicagoland).  I love creamed vegetable soups but they can be high in fat.  Here's a lightened version of a pumpkin soup that is wonderful with a grilled cheese or turkey sandwich on whole grain bread.  It has a warm rich taste that's nothing like pumpkin pie, but has its own unique flavor.

Cream of Pumpkin Soup with Basil

Six cups chicken stock (or vegan "chicken" or veggie stock)
1 teaspoon salt
dash of nutmeg
dash or ginger
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh basil ( or thyme)
2 cups canned  pumpkin puree (just pumpkin, not the pumpkin pie mix in a can that has sugar and spices)
3/4 sweet yellow onion (large) chopped
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
five whole peppercorns (or fresh ground pepper to taste)

Heat stock, spices, onion and pumpkin.  Bring to a boil and turn heat down to low and let simmer for half an hour, uncovered.  Using a blender or food processor, puree the soup a cup at a time,  place back in pan and bring to a bowl again, letting it simmer uncovered for another 20-30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in heavy cream, strain out peppercorns and serve. (garnish is fresh basil)