Paleo Zuppa Toscana

Serves 8-12

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 2 lbs. ground Italian sausage *
• red pepper flakes to taste
• 16 cups chicken stock (homemade or from bouillon)
• 1 large head cauliflower broken into bite-sized florets and pieces
• 8 cups baby kale, or baby spinach, or chopped kale, stems removed
• 1 cup coconut milk
• salt and pepper to taste

* I like to use Sprouts Italian sausage links, removing the skins, and breaking up the meat.

In a large stockpot, brown the sausage with the chopped onion and garlic.  Set aside the meat and onions to drain.  Bring the chicken stock to boil in the pot, then add the cauliflower and pepper flakes and simmer for 15 minutes* or until tender.  Return the meat mixture to the pot along with the greens.  Cook until the greens are tender: only a few minutes if using baby greens, around 5 minutes if using chopped kale.  Stir in the coconut milk, add salt & pepper to taste, and serve.

*Reduce the amount of time the cauliflower is cooked if using chopped kale which takes longer to soften.

Butternut Bisque

Butternut and Ham Bisque
Yield: 12 servings 

2 T. coconut oil, ghee, or butter
1 very large sweet onion chopped
1 tsp. dried rosemary
2 tsp. minced garlic
10 cups peeled, diced butternut squash
2 c. peeled, diced sweet potato
10 c. chicken broth (homemade, or from bouillon) 
salt to taste (depending on what broth you use)
black pepper to taste
1 c. coconut milk (or milk or heavy cream if you can have dairy)
3 cups cubed cooked ham

Melt coconut oil or other fat in a stock pot.  Sauté the onion and rosemary over moderate heat for 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook another minute.

Add the squash and sweet potato cubes, chicken stock, salt & pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cover the pot. Simmer the soup for 20-25 minutes or until the vegetables are very soft. Remove the pan from the heat.

Use a stick blender to puree the vegetables and broth in the pot.  If you do not own a stick blender, buy one immediately puree the vegetables with some broth in batches in  a blender until all the vegetables are pureed and returned to the pot. Stir in the coconut milk and ham, heating for several minutes before serving. 

My son Matthew, upon tasting this soup, once exclaimed, "This is better than ice cream!"