Pumpkin/Squash & Sausage Soup

***I sometimes make this with canned pumpkin and sometimes with pureed squash. You can buy butternut squash whole and cook & puree yourself OR Target sells it in cans and Kroger sells it in the frozen organic section. It takes about 2 small cans or 2 frozen containers for this recipe. You could probably even use the squash baby food if necessary! Pumpkin makes it a little thicker and richer like a stew and squash makes it a little lighter and a little sweeter.

1 lg can pumpkin (not pie mix) or squash puree (see above note)

1 cup dry rice, cooked to package directions. (I like brown rice cooked in 1/2 water 1/2 low sodium chicken stock)

1 lg carton of low sodium chicken stock

Sweet Italian ground sausage (I like the one from sprouts or Jenny O has a good turkey one)

white wine (cheap in fine)

1 package sliced mushrooms

1/2 large onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

2Tb half & half

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (You can use skim milk but I love cooking with almond milk b/c it's slightly sweet and creamy with 1/2 the calories and sugar of skim milk)

1/4 tsp EACH of ground thyme, red pepper flakes, ground sage

1. Cook Rice according to package directions and set aside.

2. In large soup pot or dutch oven, sautee onions & garlic with just a tiny bit of olive oil (like less than 1 tsp). Cook on low, covered, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes or until nice & soft. Don't let them burn!

3. Turn up heat to med-hi & add meat & mushrooms to pot. Cook until meat is no longer pink- about 10 more minutes.

4. Leaving pan on med- hi heat, add the wine! I use about 1/2 cup or so.

5. Add rice to pan and mix thoroughly.

6. Add pumpkin or squash puree and at least 1/2 of the chicken stock from the carton. Mix well.

4. Add almond milk & half & half. Mix well.

5. If your soup needs to be thinned out, add as much chicken stock as necessary to get the consistency you like.

6. Simmer over medium until ready to eat. The longer it simmers the better.

7. 10 minutes before serving- stir in the thyme, red pepper, & sage.