Extra Pumpkin? Kick Ass Fall Paleo Pumpkin Soup

 Don't waste pumpkin! It should be a crime!

My awesome friend Ryan got pumpkins for us to carve on Halloween as we wanted a low-key, relaxed Halloween.... well he got enough for the few people that came over but besides Ryan and I the other people got too distracted with wine... it happens.

There has been this perfectly good pumpkin sitting on my front porch and I needed to use him up. I hate waste. So I threw this concoction together in this episode of Mik's Makeshift Mad Scientist Kitchen....

Kick-Ass Fall Paleo Pumpkin Soup:

1 Leftover lonely Pumpkin (must be lonely or currently on clearance - poor guys)
(Prep your pumpkin first so it can cool down: I cut the top off, cut it into chunks and baked it flesh side down covered in foil for about 40 minutes - worked WAY better baking it flesh side down)
2 Pieces Bacon - I used humanely raised Jalapeño Bacon from Whole Foods
1 Carton Unsalted Oraganic all natural chicken broth
1/2 onion chopped
3-4 cloves garlic minced
1-2 stalks of celery chopped (adds a savory flavor)
3 carrots chopped (adds sweetness)
1 bunch of sage split 1/2 and 1/2
Coconut Milk (I used this awesome Califa Toasted Coconut Milk also from Whole Foods)
Curry Powder
Cumin
Cayenne
Salt
Cinnamon
Salt & Pepper to taste
Fresh Ground Ginger (optional - dried is fine too)
Balsamic Vinegar to garnish - optional but not really makes it AMAZING

First you want to fry up half of your sage - you want just the leaves and I usually give them a few rough tears - heat up enough coconut oil to just cover the bottom of the pot on med/high - they won't look fried but take them off about 10 seconds in or they will burn.... trust me. 

Set that off to the side. In your large pot add in your two pieces of chopped bacon, onions and garlic brown for a bit on medium/high heat then stir in the other half of your sage chopped. Add in your spices and here is where I am terrible.. I never measure things. Maybe 1TB of curry powder, 1TB of cumin, 1/2tsp-1tsp cayenne, 1/2TB cinnamon, salt & pepper. 

After that add in your carton of chicken broth (4 cups), carrots, celery and bring to a boil. Boil until carrots and celery are soft - while waiting for that to happen scoop your pumpkin from the skin into a bowl. 

I decided to puree the pumpkin with coconut milk in my magic bullet and add it batch by batch into my pot. Mixed that all in and removed it from heat, let it cool a little and pureed everything once again. Serve hot with a few dashes of balsamic and some of your fried sage crumbled. I honestly was pretty dang stoked how it came out!

Eat plenty, smile, be happy and shit.