Best Paleo Chicken Soup... So Far

The original recipe came from a magazine that’s long gone.  I start the recipe the same way each time with the olive oil, onion, garlic, rosemary, chicken and sweet potatoes. Those ingredients give the basic flavor palette. I add other vegetables based on who's coming for dinner, what's in the fridge, the quantity I want, how much time I want to put into prep, and if I have a taste for something. Basically, it’s rarely the same twice, and it’s always good.  I always add a dark green leafy vegetable like spinach just before serving company, not only for the nutrients, but for the color contrast as well. It just looks more appetizing with bright green against the orange and browns. If you want this vegetarian, omit the chicken and chicken stock, vegetable broth or water instead.)

 

Ingredients: 

2 T olive oil

1 Large or 2 med onions

4 -6 Garlic cloves

2 T Rosemary -  Minced - fresh is best

2 chicken breasts or 4 thighs cut into bite size pieces – no knives needed

3 stalks of celery chopped into half inch pieces

2 large or 5 small Parsnips – peeled and chopped into half inch pieces (they are the vegetables that look like albino carrots)

1 large or 2 small Turnips - peeled, chopped into half inch pieces (its a round white snowball with purple icing)

2 Sweet Potatoes - 1 of them peeled and chopped into  1/2" pieces. The second Sweet potato peeled, chopped into 1 1/2" pieces  

1 Can White beans - Northern (black beans are good too) 

2 C Mushrooms

1 Zuchini - chopped into 1/2" pieces or green beans 

2 C Broccoli chopped bite size

2 C Spinach chopped

Salt and Pepper

32 ounces chicken broth (Strengthens the flavor)

2 Cups water 

 

Instructions

 

·      Saute the onions in the olive oil, once they are translucent,

·      Add the garlic, and rosemary, then add and brown the chicken.

·      Pour in a bit of the chicken broth into the pan to make sure you get all the onion, garlic and chicken. This will be transferred to a pot.

·      Pour the remaining liquid into the soup pot and add the sweet potatoes, celery, parsnips, turnips, then add in the ingredients from the sauté pan. The ingredients call for a generous amount of liquid. Start with the chicken broth and add some of the water here.

·      When the large sweet potato chunks are soft, mash them with a fork or a wand, they will blend and thicken the broth. Mashing the sweet potatoes thickens almost creams the soup. Leave the little sweet potato chunks for texture.

·      Toss in the mushrooms and beans– which basically soak up the flavor and stretch the soup, not really add much flavor. Good for if you want to make a large batch. Add more of the water if it seems to thick. This is not a clear broth soup, so don’t add much, but it will cook down. Let it simmer about 20 minutes.

·      Ten minutes out from serving add the broccoli.

·      Taste it (no double dips with same spoon.) Add salt or pepper. It often doesn’t need it.

·      Call people to the table (Someone always has to “wash their hands.”

·      Toss in the spinach, have someone pour the wine and serve the bowls. The spinach should look bright green contrasting against the orange.

·      WINE: If it’s lunch or warm out, I like serving a Portuguese Vino Verde – it’s crisp and just this side of sparkling – a great contrast to the potatoes. Or I serve a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

·      SIDES: For texture and for contrast in flavors, I usually serve this with rustic bread, fruit bread or vegetable chips and sliced apples or small bunches of grapes.  I like that there is finger food along with using the spoon.

 

 

Cauliflower Wraps - A Paleo Adjustment for Brain Health

Since June of 2013, I have rarely swerved from regularly eating a paleo diet. In the first month, the hand and foot pain I'd endured stopped. I realized it as I unpacked for my writing workshop in Taos and saw that I didn't pack Advil. I haven't needed it since. During that time since, I lost more than 60 pounds and I have energy... every day. And, every day I am grateful that my chiropractor, who'd just completed a six month nutrition education program recommended that I try an anti-inflammatory diet. She told me, if you need a name for it, call it Paleo with no dairy, grain, sugar or legumes. A week or so later, still aching every day and every night, I committed to a week of cold turkey (so to speak) Paleo. Three years later... why would I go back?

I won't but I have made an adjustment recently. Do you have word-fiinding issues? Do you forget names of people and things that you've always known? Do you ever forget something that happened the day before? Ok, I know it's only me that this happens to, so when I learned about North Shore University Health System's Center for the Brain headed (so to speak) by Demetrius Maragonore, MD, located at Glenbrook Hospital, I made an appointment.

Fortunately, I learned after a rigorous assessment that even though this memory stuff only happens to me, it's normal and not dementia or Alzheimers or Parkinsons. Part of the process included a discussion of my exercise and nutrition. I learned I woefully under exercise, they recommend 7 days, 30 minutes of sweat. And, they increased my intake of B and D vitamins.

As for my diet, Dr. Maraganore said he only needed me to adjust a couple things. Ominously he said, "Are you willing to make a change?" I nodded yes and might have said, "sure," I don't remember. "Ok, can you drink red wine instead of white?" I love this man!!!

All other adjustments pale (so to speak) to that one, but he told me I should drink more water, three times a week, eat a combo of garlic, tomato, onion and basil for the lycopene, and add legumes. That's been the most difficult, knowing that they also have an inflammatory aspect to them.  I'm compliant, but I eat them sparingly. edamame here and there and hummus.

This recipe was created in view of Necessity is the Mother of Invention. I needed to eat the cauliflower noodles I'd made for another dish that didn't get made.

The noodles take ten minutes to prepare and an hour to bake. Once they are made and cooled, the wraps take as long as you need to slice avocado and assemble the other ingredients... a couple minutes.

Cauliflower Wraps

Cauliflower Noodles
1 Head of cauliflower shredded or chopped fine
3t Herbs - Italian seasoning
1 t salt
2 eggs

Steam the cauliflower to soft but not mushy, squeeze out any liquid. Add seasonings and eggs. If it's too hot you'll have scrambled eggs so let the cauliflower cool a bit.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat. I used a slotted spoon and scooped the cauliflower mix onto the mat. Working to reduce the amount of liquid, I kept the container of cauliflower mix on an angle to let the moisture run down and I squashed the mash on the spoon to get the last drops out. Spread the mix evenly on the pan and cut dividing lines every two and a half to three inches to make lasagna-like noodles. Bake 350 degrees, 55-60 minutes. They should be browned and still soft.

I wrapped mine in the parchment paper and stored them in the fridge for a day before using them.

The Wrappings
Lemon Hummus
Avocado
Spinach
Sprouts

Spread the hummus, add three slices of avocado at one end, sprinkle sprouts on top and spinach have way down the noodle. Roll the noodle starting at the end with the avocado. I cut them in have so I had  two rolls from each noodle.

Anyone eating Paleo learns quickly that when you don't eat crackers, chips and breads, you have fewer vehicles to get other foods like guacamole, salsa and almond butter into your mouth. I get tired of eating a pile of vegetables with some meat on top. The Cauliflower Noodles make a tasty vehicle for sandwich fixings, whether hummus is schmeered or not.