Extra Canned Pumpkin??

Thanksgiving always involves pumpkin pie. I stocked up for our 10 guests and now find myself with more pumpkin then I know what to do with....until I got snowed in this weekend :)

I wouldn't call myself a cook. I think creator would be more apropos. I like to follow instruction but when it comes to cooking, baking and anything in the kitchen I tend to have use a little "creative license".

Below are two yummy paleo recipes that I made today, in between shoveling the snow off my car and walkways (really good workout by the way!). The link is the inspiration and the recipe is my creation.

http://cavemanfood.blogspot.com/2009/10/pumpkin-sausage-soup.html

Pumpkin and Chicken Andouille Sausage Soup

INGREDIENTS:

1 lbs of sausage ( I used Spicy Chicken Andouille Sausage from Costco http://atkfoods.com/)

1 medium onion, minced to oblivion (I used yellow)

1.5-2 cups mushrooms ( I really like mushrooms but I diced them up pretty good (used:mini portabella) so that it wouldn't turn out too stew-like)

1 15ounce can of pumpkin puree (make sure not to use pumpkin pie filling, nasty.)

4 cups chicken broth (I have tons of homemade chicken broth on hand from when I roast whole chickens in the crock-pot...another post but seriously easy and all paleors should get comfy with the naked chicken!)

several shakes of: oregano, thyme, paprika, sea salt

a couple shakes of:

red chili flakes (I used thai red chili spice but I like my food with a kick), rosemary, cinnamon

dash of nutmeg and cloves (totally optional...I always go crazy with the spices)

2 TBS of cooking fat ( I used the top layer of fat that had solidified on my chicken broth but you can use olive oil, coconut oil, grapeseed oil, etc.) BUTTER is NOT paleo.

1/2 cup coconut milk (make sure when you first open the can to stir it, it separates)

CREATE:

Get a big soup pot (eventually you can use a crock pot to let all the flavors mix but for now you need the immediate heat that you won't get using a crock-pot)

Saute the mushrooms, onions and sausage together over med-high until golden

Remove the mushrooms, onions and sausage from the soup pot

Add the pumpkin to the soup pot, stirring in the chicken broth

Add back in the mushrooms, onions and sausage to the pumpkin/chicken broth soup, simmer for 10 minutes.

Add all the spices (remaining ingredients EXCEPT for the coconut milk)

Simmer the soup for 20 minutes (during this time I mashed all the chunks to get the flavors going...)

Add coconut milk.

Yum!