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.

Creamy Mushroom Soup (AIP, Coconut Free, Paleo, Whole 30)

I am a sucker for a big bowl of creamy goodness of the mushroom variety. Prior to my paleo/AIP days, I would go around testing all the the mushroom soups I could find. The richness of the cream, the earthiness of the mushrooms, it was on of my favorite flavor combo. Of course, since cream is a no go for me now, I had kind of written off attempting to make this soup. I have attempted only one recipes thus far, and while it was pretty tasty, it never quite seemed to work for me. Since most recipes use coconut cream for the creamy texture, it is sometimes hard to avoid the coconut flavor taking over a dish. Sometimes it works really well, but for mushroom soup, I found it to be too overpowering.

Enter: the cauliflower. One of my favorite soups to keep in the house is a this Creamy Cauliflower Leek soup by Paleogirl99. She uses the blended cauliflower to give the soup it's creamy texture. So, I figured, hey I wonder if using cauliflower would help give the creaminess to the mushroom soup, without taking over the flavor? And guess what, it worked! This soup is perfect blend of earthy creamy goodness, that will definitely satisfy your taste buds.

(and only more creamy for good measure)

Creamy Mushroom Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup shallots, sliced
• 2 tablespoons garlic, sliced
• 1 lb white buttom mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups cauliflower florets, fresh or frozen
• 2 ½ cups bone broth, divided
• 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

1. Set instant pot to saute and extra virgin olive oil to the pot.
2. Once oil is hot, add shallots and garlic slices and cook for 2 minutes. Stir occasionally.
3. Add mushrooms and allow them to cook down for 5 minutes or until the have reduced by about half. Stir frequently.
4. Cancel saute function and pour in half a cup of bone broth. Deglaze the pan and scrap up all the dark bits from the bottom. 
5. Add in the remaining broth, cauliflower florets, dried tarragon, thyme, and sea salt. Stir to combine.
6. Place lid on pot and be sure the valve is set to sealing.
7. Use the manual setting on high pressure and adjust the time to 10 minutes.
8. When it is complete, press cancel and open the valve to manually release the pressure.
9. Use an immersion blender to fulling blend all ingredients together.
10. Enjoy!