September swap

This time I got very interesting offer from Rachel. As she gould not find anyone from EU to swap with me beside Techla, she decided to swap with us.

It was total surprise and off course I agreed with this, otherwise I was left out this time.

To Rachel I sent some Sea Buckthorn Muesli and some hawthorn berry flour. I think and really hope that there are not any in USA. I love them both. I use both of them in my teas or in baking goods. They are very rich in taste.

Yesterday evening I had note in my postbox and I could not read whom it was. It was just 3 letters ARX. So I was really puzzled as I order some stuff only from Iherb and if you are interested in ordering feel free to use my discount code MMQ155 on your first order and get off 5 or 10 $ depends on your order. 

So back to that note. So today afternoon I had some time visiting the Post Office and I was so inpatient to see what was in that mystery parcel, so I opened it directly after I received it in my car. Oooh, that smell what rushed to my face - it was just wonderful and so rich. It was Nutiva´s Coconut manna - and that word manna really puzzled me as "manna" in my language means semolina... 

But coconut semolina - wow it would be really wonderful  - kids will love it. But it does not look like semolina at all. So I do  not think that I can make them berry juice manna whipping (mannavaht / mannaroosa) to them what they use to like when we ate manna over year ago.

So nothing to do, I needet to dive into internet and see what it is and is there any use for it beside just eating it right from the jar. Read from jar that this is a possibility to put into brownies - it would be great, but where is the recipe...? Doing more searching I found out that it is quite good idea to use it by making your own coconut milk. I use to do it out of coconut flakes, but hey, this is easier. Do not to soak or wait so long time, before I can do something out of it. So then I decided that it should become a pumpkin sweet potato cream soup.

Pumpkin sweet potato cream soup with coconut manna

• ca´ 1,5 kg butternut pumpkin (peeled, seeds removed and cut into cubes)
• ca´ 500 g sweet potatoes (peeled and cut into cubes)
• 1 2/3 cup coconut manna
• 6 cups hot water
• himalayan pink salt
• 1-1,5 ts allspice
• 1-1,5 ts Chinese 5 spice
• 150-200 g butter or coconut oil
• pepitas
• 300 g full smoked dear sausage

First make your coconut manna milk, put the jar into hot water and wait when manna turns nice and soft, then measure 1 2/3 cup manna into blender and add 6 cups rather hot (but your hands can tolerate it) not cold or boiling water and blend few seconds and let it sit. 

Put soup pot onto stove on medium heat, pour in your oil or butter, heat it up. Wash, peel and cut your sweet potatoes and add them to butter or oil. Let them glaze, but do not let them get browned as you do not want brown soup, but nice and orange. Then wash, peel and remove seeds from your pumpkin, cut into cubes and add them to your potatoes. Add some salt and spices, it depends how spicy soup you like. Let them glaze there but do not let them get burnt, stir all the time. Let them glaze there about 8 more minutes, then add your coconut manna milk and let it simmer in low heat about 10-15 minutes. When sweet potatoes and pumpkin cubes are almost mashed then turn off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes. Take your full smoked dear sausage and heat it up in oven for 8-10 minutes. Now you are ready to take your hand blender and smash your soup into nice and creamy consistence. Cut your smoked sausage into small cubes and add it into soup or garnish later with it. Depends what do you like best and garnish with a little Tai Basil and coconut manna.

Enjoy!