Green Leek Soup

This soup has a variety of textures.  Smooth, pureed base with chicken, carrots and onions.  If you'd like to make a vegetarian soup, simply leave the chicken out.  To make it vegan,  also substitute olive oil for the butter.  Only green items are blended together, creating a nice green color.  The carrots are left unblended to give a sweet bite but not dampen the nice green color.  

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken breasts (optional)

2 medium onions

5 carrots

2 large leeks

4 stalks celery (with leaves, if available)

3 kale leaves

2 medium potatoes, peeled

5 cloves garlic

2 tsp italian seasoning, rosemary, or oregano

salt, to taste

crushed red pepper

2 tbs olive oil

2 tbs butter (or olive oil)

4 cups water (or 2 cups broth and 2 cups water)

Directions:

Cut the chicken up into small bite-sized pieces, peel and chop the carrots and 1 onion.  Stir fry the chicken, carrots, onion and crushed red pepper in olive oil.   If cooking in the same kettle as you will cook the rest, remove and place in large bowl until later.

Separately, chop the potato into little cubes and stir-fry in olive oil (or butter).  As it begins to cook add the leeks, celery, remaining onion, and herbs in olive oil.  Once you can prick the celery with a fork (and before it turns mushy!) chop the kale, mince the garlic and add both.  (In my photo below you do not see potato, as I had it precooked and added it later... But, this is about what the leeks and celery looked like when I added the kale...).

Give it a stir, remove from the heat and add 4 cups water (or water/broth combination).  

Blend the leek mixture in several batches in the blender.  

Place back in a large kettle, add the chicken/carrot mixture to it and slightly reheat together.  Stir completely and serve.  Store in fridge and eat within several days.  Reheat individual portions on stovetop.  

Cold/Flu Wellness Soup

This soup delivers nature's anti-virals with rosemary, lemongrass, garlic, onions and lemon.  Also, veggies and chicken to give your body strength to recover quicker and healthfully from a cold or flu.  Not to mention the benefits of consuming the warm broth to help with congestion and warm the body.  I've made different variations on this, some of which I added seaweed or celery.  You can always try adding other veggies.  I don't use broth when I make soup because I believe I'm making my own broth with the ingredients I'm using.  So, I find it important to have the herbs, onion and garlic to help flavor it... it just works out so well they are helping you feel better, too!

Ingredients:

2-3 tbs olive oil

2 chicken breasts

3 stalks broccoli

4 carrots

1-2 large onions

5 cloves garlic

rosemary, 5 fresh sprigs

lemongrass, 1 stalk

salt (optional, to taste)

fresh lemon wedges

filtered water (enough to cover)

Directions:

Note about prep:  Have veggies prepared and ready before starting as things cook quickly and if you're not prepared some ingredients can get overcooked.  To  prepare carrots, peel and chop.  For broccoli, cut "woody" parts off stalks (and throw them away) and chop the remainder.  Chop rosemary finely. Peel outer layer off lemongrass and chop into approximately 6" pieces, then cut those down the middle to expose insides.  For garlic, smash cloves with chef's knife to remove skins, then chop finely.  Remove skin from onions and chop.

Note about herbs:  I have the rosemary and lemongrass growing fresh but if you don't you can always use dried herbs or substitute other herbs instead.  

Have your veggies/herbs prepared and ready then heat olive oil in large soup pot on medium-heat.  Using kitchen shears, cut chicken into strips, then cut those strips into small pieces.  Cook the chicken on the heat, stirring for a few minutes until most of the outside looks white.  Now, add the broccoli, carrots, onions, rosemary, and lemongrass.  Stir, then cover and cook for a few minutes.  Add water to cover then bring just to a boil over high-heat.  At once, reduce to a simmer and cook until the veggies are done to your liking.  Take soup off burner, keep cover off (or it will continue cooking) and stir in garlic and salt (if using) .  I add garlic at the end of cooking so as to preserve its beneficial properties.  The lemongrass is not to be eaten, it instead "brews" in the soup like a tea.  Leave the lemongrass stalks in the soup until right before eating as it will continue to steep.  For each bowl of soup squeeze a wedge of fresh lemon into it right before eating.

Cheers to Good Health!

You might also like to try this soup recipe by Feel Divine Food: Bunnicula's Carrot-Top Soup Medley.

Bunnicula's Carrot Top Soup Medley

Ingredients:

- 1 bunch multi-colored carrots with tops
- onion
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 tbs. olive oil
- 1/2 tbs. italian seasoning
- 1/2 tbs. turmeric powder
- 1/2 cup red lentils (optional, leave out for lower-carb version)
- 3 celery stalks
- several cloves of garlic
- fresh herbs, I used holy basil leaves
- moringa leaves
- cayenne pepper, to taste
- sea salt or Himalayan salt, to taste
- water, to cover
- 1 cup cooked quinoa


Directions:


Remove carrot tops and peel carrots.

 Chop onion and stir-fry in olive oil with bay leaves.

Add lentils and other (dry) herbs.

Add several cups water, and bring to a simmer...

Chop carrots and celery and add to soup, let cook several minutes.

Chop (washed) carrot top greens and add to soup.

Lastly, add moringa, holy basil leaves, and quinoa.

Salt to taste...

... and enjoy!

Colorful Summer Salad Slaw

Whether you like eating the slaw alone or on a salad or other meal topper, this fast and easy prep will cure your crave for crunch for several days.  There is endless versatility with what veggies you use and what is used to flavor it with.  I would plan to make a batch that will last no more than about 3-4 days, as it's best to eat fresh.   For this batch I used:

Ingredients:
- 1 head red cabbage
- 1 small/medium onion
- several fresh beets
- approximately 1 lb. carrots
- fresh herbs from garden or use dry herbs
- pinch of salt
- cayenne pepper
- juice of one lemon
- olive oil (or other) added before eating, optional

Directions:
- First, wash cabbage, peel onion, beets and carrots.  If needed, chop veggies to a size that will allow them to fit through the food processor with a shredding attachment.  I use a Cuisinart processor.  If you do not have a food processor, shredding by hand will also work, but it will require more patience.

Shred all veggies.  Add herbs of your choice.  I used what fresh ones I have growing now: holy basil, rosemary and mint.  Wash, pull off leaves and finely chop.  Alternatively, add dry herbs.  Add to shredded veggie mix.  Add salt, pepper, and lemon, then thoroughly mix ingredients using a large spoon.

Before eating, add olive oil (or other oil of choice: avocado, hemp, flax, etc...).  It is great alone.  I love to add it to to a salad:

Or, even more, along with other things to complete the salad (here, I've added avocado and quinoa...):

Store rest of slaw in airtight containers in fridge.  Variations for this recipe are endless... have fun, experiment and... ENJOY!