Roasted Pumpkin and Caramelized Apple Soup (AIP, Paleo, Whole 30)

So who still has leftover pumpkin decorations they have no idea what to do with? We were gifted not one, but two cute sugar pumpkins to decorate with and to enjoy. And, if you can believe it, I have never actually cooked with real pumpkin. I have only ever used pureed pumpkin from a can. I knew I could simply roast it like any other winter squash, but since I am on a major soup kick, I wanted to make one that highlighted the naturally sweetness of the pumpkin. The caramelized apples are a nice accent, and bring the yumminess to another level.

Roasted Pumpkin and Caramelized Apple Soup

Ingredients

• 1 sugar pumpkin (about 2-3 lbs)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of bacon fat (or fat of choice)
• 2 medium apples, peeled and sliced
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 2 cups of bone broth

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degree F. 
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat mat.
3. Slice pumpkin in half and remove seeds and stringy parts.
4. Lightly season the inside with 1/2 teaspoon sea salt.
5. Place pumpkin halves on baking sheet, cut side down. 
6. Brush extra virgin olive oil over the skin of the pumpkin halves.
7. Roast in preheated oven for 45 min – 1 hour, or until soft. Remove the pumpkin halves and set aside to cool.
8. While pumpkin is cool, you can cook the apples.
9. Heat bacon fat in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat.
10. Once pan is hot, add apple slices to pan and allow to cook for 10-15 mins, or until they are soft and begin to brown. Stir occasionally.
11. When apples are done, add them plus the flesh from the pumpkin, cinnamon and bone broth to a blender. Mix until smooth and fully combined.
12. The pumpkin should still be hot enough to warm the bone broth, but if the soup is not warm enough, simply heat in a pot over medium-low heat on stove.
13. Enjoy.

Three Squash Beef Chili (AIP, Paleo, Whole 30)

What says comfort during the fall season then a delicious squash soup or a big bowl of chili? Well, I figured why not combine them to make a squash soup chili of sorts. It combines three of my favorite squash: butternut, acorn, and pumpkin. Hope you enjoy this chili as much as I do.

Three Squash Beef Chili

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and diced into ½ inch cubes
• 2 acorn squash, - peeled, seeded, and diced into ½ inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 onion, thinly diced
• 1 cup pure pumpkin puree
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 ½ tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon thyme
• ½ tablespoon ground savory
• ½ tablespoon ground sage
• ½ tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2 cups bone broth

Instructions

1. Fill a steamer pot about 1/4 full of water, and add in/on steam basket. Add approximately 1 ½ cups of diced butternut squash and 1 cup of diced acorn squash to steamer basket. You want to steam about a third of the diced squash. Turn burn on high, cover, and steam for about 15 mins, or until squash is soft.
2. While squash is steaming, in large, deep pot over medium high heat  extra virgin olive oil. When oil is hot, add ground beef to the pot and cook until browned. 
3. Add onions to pot and cook until to just translucent. Turn off burner and set pot aside.
4. By now, the squash should be steamed. Add the cooked squash to a food processor, and blend.
5. Add squash mix to pot with meat and onions. Add the remaining ingredients from the pumpkin puree to bone broth to the pot. Lastly, add in the remaining raw cut squash to pot.
6. Stir ingredients to fully combine.
7. Return to burner, and set heat to high. Stir frequently and bring to a boil.
8. Once boiling, turn heat down to simmer (about a medium, medium low, depending on your stove), and allow to cook uncovered for 1 hour. Stir occasionally.
9. When it is done, remove cinnamon stick, and enjoy!

Recipe note: if you are able to get a hold of a cooking pumpkin, like a sugar pumpkin, you could leave out the pumpkin puree. Instead, peel, seed, and dice the pumpkin and steam and puree a third of it with the acorn and butternut squash. Then add in the raw to the pot with the other squash.

Allergy Friendly Waffles (AIP, Coconut-Free, Paleo, Vegan)

Six weeks ago my mom finally gave me her old waffle iron. I was super stoked. There are so many delicious Paleo waffle recipes out there I have been dying to try. So of course the next day, I whipped up a batch and they were perfect. Fast forward to 3 days later, and I am officially starting my Autoimmune Protocol Journey (read more about it here).

This means no more eggs, nuts, or any dairy at all, which in my mind meant no waffles for me. I attempted a few other recipes I found online and let's just say, they didn't go so well.

It took a few weeks for me to recover, but yesterday, while watching the show 'The Kitchen,' I had an idea. There was this very easy pizza recipe I found the other day that created a dough that baked well. Since I was treating the mix as a dough rather than a traditional waffle mix, I realized that if you drop portions of the dough in the waffle iron it might work. And it did!!

I am so excited to share this recipe with you. These waffles hold up like real waffles and can even be frozen and reheated in the toaster. What's better is they are sugar-free, egg-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, and even coconut-free, making them the perfect Allergy Friendly Waffles.

Allergy Friendly Waffles

Ingredients

• 1 green plantain, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1/4 cup of organic pumpkin puree or mashed sweet potato
• 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
• 2 tablespoon of avocado oil
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• A pinch of sea salt

Instruction

1. Preheat waffle iron.

2. Combine all ingredients in blender and mix until combined into a paste.

3. When waffle iron is ready, brush with coconut oil or avocado oil to grease it.

4. Using a 1/4 measure cup, scoop just under a 1/4 cup of the mix and place it in the center of each waffle impression.

5. Close the iron and cook for 7 mins.

6. Carefully remove and enjoy as you would your favorite waffle. This will likely not fill out the whole waffle pattern, but that is to help it from spreading too much and keep the waffle fluffy.

This mix will make 8 of these mini waffles. Again, these will freeze just like your regular waffles and can be reheated in the toaster oven.

Shared on AIP Recipe Roundtable