Pumpkin Soup

This was a bit complex to make, but so very worth it! Also, there are only 145 calories per serving! Can't beat that!

***UPDATED TO ADD***
Here is the recipe per your requests. Its like Julie Powell wrote in Julie & Julia, "Maybe I needed to make like a potato, winnow myself down, be part of something that was not easy, just simple." I think she was referring to Julia Child's recipes (this soup is not one of those recipes. I got it from the Country Living's Happy Halloween book.), which are simple, but not necessarily easy. This recipe is not "hard", but it has many steps and I've never made soup like this in the past.

Ingredients (Makes 6 Servings)
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1 medium-size onion, chopped
* 1 stalk celery, chopped
* 1 medium-size carrot. peeled and chopped
* 1 medium-size potato, peeled and chopped
* 1 clove garlic, chopped
* 4 1/2 cups water
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 16 ounce can pumpkin puree
* 1/4 cup honey
* 1 tablespoon peeled, chopped fresh ginger root (I used a jar kind that I bought at an Indian store when I made chicken curry. I used about 3/4 of a tablespoon. Might use a bit less next time)
* 1 cup milk

1.) In a 4-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and potato and saute for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute 5 minutes longer. Stir in the water and salt; heat to boiling. reduce heat to low, cover , and simmer for 30 minutes.

2.) Stir in the pumpkin, honey, and ginger root into the soup; cook uncovered and stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Stir in the milk.

3.) In batches, transfer the soup to a blender and puree. transfer to a clean saucepan and gently reheat before serving.

Nutrition Facts
Calories: 145, Fat: 3.5G, Carbs: 27.8G, Sodium: 435.5MG, Cholesterol: 9.2MG, Protein: 3.2G, Fiber: 3.4G

I added a small amount of red pepper flakes, lots of regular black pepper and more salt. This is certainly a savory dish, but B and I felt it needed a "kick". I didn't add enough red pepper to make it spicy, but it just added a depth of flavor. Enjoy!