As we transition into winter, keeping warm is an inevitable challenge to embrace in our daily lives. Instead of piling on layers of clothing, unthaw with a bowl of easy, seasonally inspired soup.

Coconut Pumpkin Soup

(serves about 4)

Ingredients:

2 cups vegetable broth

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium chopped onion

2 cups 100 percent pure pumpkin puree

1 (13.5 oz.) can of classic coconut milk

2 tablespoons chopped garlic (optional)

Directions: Using the olive oil, saute the onions and garlic in a large pot. The onions should be soft but not brown. Slowly stir in the pumpkin puree, coconut milk and vegetable broth. Conti-nue to blend the ingredients until they’re mixed well, taking anywhere from five to ten minutes to stir. For extra fall festivity, serve this soup in hollowed miniature pumpkins as bowls, dash a little cinnamon and top it off with cooked pumpkin seeds.

Spicy Tortilla Soup

(serves about 6)

Ingredients:

1 (15 oz.) can of vegetable broth

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

2 (14.5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes

2 (15 oz.) cans black beans

4 minced garlic cloves

1 package frozen corn kernels

1 avocado, sliced

1 cup crushed tortilla chips

Directions: Heat the olive oil in a pan with the garlic, chili powder and cumin for about one minute. Next, gradually pour the tomatoes, broth, corn, beans and a cup of water into the spices. Allow the soup to boil for one or two minutes until fragrant, and then let the soup simmer. After fully cooked, layer the tortilla chips and avocado on top along with a sprinkle of salt, pepper and lime juice. This is the vegetarian version — if you’d like to make more traditional tortilla soup, throw chicken breast in while heating up the olive oil and spices. Make sure the meat is completely cooked before moving on to the next step with the soup ingredients.

A version of this article appeared in the Tuesday, Nov. 5 print edition. Hannah Treasure is a staff writer. Email her at [email protected].