KETO SAFFRON CHICKEN VEGETABLE SOUP

So being Persian I grew up having some amazing home cooked middle eastern meals. I would have to fight my brother and sister over the tahdig (the toasted crunchy bites at the bottom of the rice that would be caramelized together by the butter and saffron) because in our household it was a prize possession. Anything with saffron usually gets my seal of approval, which is why the other day when it was -15 in Toronto and I was craving soup I decided to make a KETO friendly chicken veg soup recipe with a Persian twist. The results - heavenly! This soup is so jammed packed with flavor and immune boosting nutrients you feel like you're getting a hug from the inside out. ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 Cup of Salted Butter
A Pinch of Saffron (ground)
2 S/M Sweet Onions (chopped finely)
5 Carrots (peeled and chopped)
3 Celery Stocks (chopped)
2L of Chicken Stock
1 Rotisserie Chicken (remove skin and shred chicken meat)
2-3 Cups of Fresh Spinach
Fresh Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Melt butter in a large soup pot on medium heat. Add in the freshly ground saffron and l let it turn the butter a golden color.

When the butter is hot, throw in your finely chopped onion and coat that in the saffron and butter. Let this cook down until the onions become translucent and soft - about 5 minutes.

When ready add in your chopped carrots and celery, tossing everything so it is all coated in saffron butter. Cover and let the excess water escape from the celery and carrots. Stir every 3-4 minutes so nothing burns and the butter is well distributed among all the vegetables.

Once  the vegetables have soften you can add in you chicken stock, stir and let come to a low simmer.

Next add in your shredded chicken and fresh spinach. Make sure to stir and submerge the spinach into the soup. Cover and let the soup continue to simmer on low heat for about 3-4 minutes to get that spinach soft and then keep stiring until it is submerged into the soup completely.

Add pepper to taste (you shouldn't need salt but if you want more you can add it now).

That's it! Enjoy!

If you like this recipe or have any comments/questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section below!

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BEEF AND BARLEY SOUP

 

Beef and Barley soup is the quintessential fall/winter hearty soup. There are so many nutrients and vegetables in this soup that will pick you up if you are felling sick.  The beef and broth will also warm you right up on a cold day and give you the energy to continue on. My mom always made this soup when I was sick because she knows it was my favorite and I guess its only right to pay that forward. When I asked me mom to send me the recipe I was not really surprised to see it was a Barefoot Contessa recipe. Of course it is, she is queen - all hail the Contessa! Ill post the original link below. ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS:

1 TBSP of Olive Oil
2 Lbs of Stewing Beef
2TSP of Salt (divided into 1 TSP portions)
2 TSP Pepper (divided into 1 TSP portions)
2 Cups of Leek (clean and chopped white bit - green bit is no good)
2 Cups of Carrots (peeled and chopped)
1 Large Spanish or Yellow Onion (chopped)
1 Cup of Celery (copped)
3 Bay Leaves
2 Stings of Thyme
8 Cups of Beef Broth
1 Cup of Uncooked Barley (rinsed)

DIRECTIONS:

In a large pot heat up your oil on medium heat. Once ready throw in your stewing beef. Add 1 TSP of salt and pepper. Allow to cook for about 10 minutes stirring periodically. You want the beef to be browned on all sides and to let out the fat and juices.

Once the beef is browned remove the beef and set aside but leave the juices!! We are going to use the juice to cook the vegetables so once the beef is out throw in the leeks, carrots, celery, and onion! Let that cook releasing the water from the vegetables and cooking them down for 10 minutes. They will also absorb some of the oils/fats left behind from the meat - YUM!

Once the vegetables are cooked down you can add your meat back in as well as your 2 springs of thyme, bay leaves, and beef broth. You can also add in your remaining salt and pepper at this time. Bring to a boil before lowering to a simmer and covering. You will need to let the soup continue to cook on a simmer for an hour.

In the meantime, we are going to cook the barley so bring four cups of water in a separate pot to a boil and throw in your barley and reduce to a simmer. Let the barley simmer UNCOVERED for 30 minutes before you drain and set it aside.

When the 60 minutes are up for the soup throw in the barley and continue to cook for 15-20 minutes. Depending on how you like your soup you may want to add some salt and pepper before serving. Also, I like to remove the thyme and bay leaves so that they don’t get in people’s bowls.

 

 

Original Recipe -> http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/rich-beef-barley-soup-recipe.html

I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do. If you have any comments please leave them below and I'll be happy to answer them as soon as I can! Happy cooking!!!

 

 

TURKEY CHILI - GLUTEN FREE AND PALEO

Turkey Chili makes a great winter dish. Its not only full of protein from the turkey and the kidney beans but tomatoes have a lot of antioxidants and are a rich source of vitamins A and C - great for anyone suffering from heart disease, diabetes and cancer. I found this recipe originally on all recipes.com.  I made it at home because I was looking for something hearty and low fat to eat for dinner and thought I would pass it on. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

1.5 TSP of Olive Oil
1 LB of Ground Turkey
1 Large Yellow Onion (chopped)
2 Cups of Water
1 Can of Crushed Tomatoes (28 Oz Can)
1 Can of Kidney Beans - drained and rinsed (16 Oz Can
2 Cloves of Garlic (chopped finely)
2 TBSP of Chili Powder
1/2 TSP of Paprika
1/2 TSP of Dried Oregano
1/2 TSP Ground Cayenne Pepper
1/2 TSP Ground Cumin
Salt and Pepper (as desired)

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the olive oil in a pot on the stove on medium heat. Place turkey in the pot and cook until it is evenly brown (about 4-5 minutes)

Stir in Onion and let that continue to cook until the onion becomes soft and tender.

Add water to pot before adding in the rest of the ingredients! Bring to a boil then reduce heat and cover. Let simmer for 30 minutes till sauce is thickened. If sauce hasn't thickened enough remove cover and continue to let simmer until it is.

 

I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do. If you have any comments please leave them below and I'll be happy to answer them as soon as I can! Happy cooking!!!

BABA's MACEDONIAN CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP - GLUTEN FREE!

After the holidays I was feeling rundown and definitely craved some of Baba's (Macedonian for Grandmother) Chicken Noodle Soup. She makes he broth from scratch so with her guidance I was able to replicate her soup. Since we will be makings everything from scratch you can control your salt and therefore your sodium level. Also I used rice noodles so that we can keep it gluten free. If you are not feeling well Baba's Chicken Noodle is definitely a good way to go because it is packed with nutrients from the vegetables used to create the broth. ENJOY

INGREDIENTS:

1 Whole Chicken
1 TBSP Salt (to wash the chicken)
1-2 TBSP White Vinegar (to wash the chicken)
3 Carrots (Chopped)
3 Celery Branches (Chopped)
3 Small Onions (Cut in quarters)
1 Whole Clove of Garlic (cut in half)
1 Lemon (you will need the zest and the juice)
2 Egg Yokes
Rice Noodles (use as much as desired)
Salt and Pepper as desired
 

DIRECTIONS:

Wash chicken in cold water. To wash further, rub with a bit of white vinegar and a bit of salt to kill any bacteria

Cut chicken in halves or quarters and remove any excess fat

Place chicken in deep pot and add cold water (about 3 litres per kg of chicken), and 1 tablespoon of salt

Bring water to a boil and then turn to medium heat uncovered

During the first 5 minutes of boiling, skim the excess fat and foam that rises to the top

After you have skimmed, add the chopped onion, celery, carrots and garlic

Cover and let boil on low to medium heat for 1.5 hours or until chicken is cooked

Remove chicken and set aside to cool

Remove carrots and set aside to cool

Remove onions, celery, and garlic to a strainer. Use ladel to mash this mixture through the strainer into the soup. Do this for 5 minutes and discard anything that doesn't go through strainer

Add zest of 1 lemon. Add a bit of salt to season, if necessary

In a medium bowl, mix 2 egg yokes, the juice of 1 lemon and a bit of cold water. Give it a good wisk for 2-3 minutes.

Add noodles to pot. As they are cooking, slowly add about 4-5 ladels of stock to the egg mixture, stirring as you do it. This will bring the egg mixture up to temperature of the stock and will make sure the yokes dont cook.

When noodles are half way done, slowly add the egg and stock mixture back into the pot, ladel by ladel

Remove skin off chicken and shred or chop chicken to your liking. Add back to the soup with the carrots

Remove from heat and cover to hang out for a few minutes or serve right away.

When serving, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and some fresh cracked pepper make it perfect!

 

I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do. If you have any comments please leave them below and I'll be happy to answer them as soon as I can! Happy cooking!!!

CURRIED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP - VEGAN , VEGETARIAN

My boyfriends mom made this soup for me recently and I was instantly in love. It is so flavourful and delicious. I am a big fan of Indian food and curry so if you are too you should try this curried butternut square soup. There is a little bit of apple in it so it tastes a little sweet and is great if you have a kids. Oh, did I also mention its vegan/vegetarian friendly? That's right!!! There is no dairy so its great if you are on a diet and looking for a meal that will warm you up as well as fill you up guilt free.

INGREDIENT

4 TBSP of Butter (or vegan substitute)
1 Large Yellow Onion Chopped finely
5 TSP of Curry Powder
1 Butternut Squash (around 3lbs) peeled, seeded and cubed
2 Apples peeled, seeded and cubed
3 Cups of Chicken Broth
1 Cup of Apple Juice
Sun Flower seeds and Pine nuts (to garnish)

MATERIALS:

Blender of Food Processor

DIRECTIONS:

Melt the butter in a big soup pot. Add in the onions and curry powder mix together all the ingredients and let simmer, lid on, on low heat for about 25min.

Once the onions are soft and translucent add in the butternut squash and apple followed by the chicken broth. Mix the ingredients around and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook until the butternut squash becomes tender. About 30 minutes

Once the butternut squash is tender transfer in parts to the blender or food processor and blend to puree consistency and transfer back to the pot. (Sometimes draining out the chicken stock before you put it in the food processor can help, however don't forget to add the chicken stock back into the pot afterwards.) 

Add in the apple juice and stir. Salt and Pepper to taste (I think it only needs a bit of pepper)

You can continue to let it simmer with the lid off if you think its to watery and let some of the water evaporate but stir every once and awhile.

You can toast the pine nuts and sunflower seed and add them as garnish before you serve!

 

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! I would love to hear from you and your thoughts on the taste. Please feel free to leave a comment below :)