Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 200??c. Start by scooping out the seeds (but don't throw them away). Add the squash and carrots to a large baking tray with a little drizzle of olive oil to coat the vegetables. Add a couple of big pinches of salt to the pan and place in the oven, cooking until the squash has become tender, about 45 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 180??c. Once cooked, take the tray out of the oven and let it cool for around 15 minutes. While the vegetables are cooling, add the squash seeds, a little olive oil and a pinch of salt to a baking tray. Place the tray in the oven and cook for around 10-15 minutes when they should have started to go golden and crisp. As the squash seeds are roasting, heat up a large saucepan on medium heat. Add a little olive oil then add the chopped onion and celery, cook until soft. Scoop out the soft flesh of the squash into a blender, add the carrots, onion, celery and stock (you might need to do this in batches). Blend until smooth and return to the pan and bring to a simmer. Taste and season before adding the red lentils and continue to simmer until the lentils are soft, around 10-15 minutes. Once the lentils are cooked, transfer the soup to a blender and blend until smooth. Depending on the blender and in the interests of safety it might be best to let it cool a bit first! Add the Vivo Life Protein and blend again. Return the soup to the pan, and add the harissa paste, tasting as you go, adding more salt or harissa as required. Serve with a sprinkle of za'atar or thyme.