Heat 3 tbsp. olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Once heated, add the onion, garlic and salt to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes. In the meantime, boil the water for the quinoa.

Add the pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes, and a few twists of freshly ground black pepper. The, pour in the broth, bringing the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, to give the flavors time to marry.

While the soup is cooking, cook the quinoa according to the package directions and toast the pepitas over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, and golden making sure they are not burning on the bottom!

Once the pumpkin mixture is done cooking, stir in the coconut milk or yogurt. Remove the soup from heat and let it cool slightly. You can use an immersion blender to blend this soup in the pot. I used my Vitamix to blend the soup in batches to get it super creamy.  Add about 1 1/2 cups of soup at a time to your blender, not all at once! Puree until smooth and transfer the soup into another bowl or pot in the meantime and repeat with the remaining batches. 

Put the soup back into the original soup pot and add in the quinoa, stirring on low heat until everything combined and warmed. 

 Then, ladle the soup into individual bowls. Sprinkle pepitas over the soup and parmesan cheese if using and serve. Let leftover soup cool completely before transferring it to a proper storage container and refrigerating it for up to a week. This soup can also be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.