I can’t believe it has been well over a year since I last posted a recipe here. This blog’s content has changed so much over the past 5 years, and it’s revealing to look back and see that. But while I have been distracted with big things and heavy questions and major life changes, I have still been cooking as much as ever.
It’s important to me – as you know if you’ve been reading here for a while – that my family stays healthy and makes good choices at the table as often as we can. And I’m also seeing that there can be so much comfort found in the kitchen. A warmth and familiarity that is really helpful when other things can feel out of our control.
That said, I also have realistic expectations. I am the only adult in my house with two little kids, one large dog, a million tasks and activities to tend to, and a full time job that I love and want to do well. If it takes longer than 30 minutes to cook, it’s not going to happen on a weeknight. (On that subject, we are out of the house from 7:30am until 6pm on Wednesdays, and I’d love it if you post your favorite crockpot recipes in the comments. I need ideas!)
The weather is soon changing from summer to fall, and you can sometimes feel it even here in the Atlanta heat. I’m ready. Both Jude and Norah came down with a little mystery fever at the end of last week, and it has extended to me. (Thanks, kindergarten germs!) There’s nothing like soup when you feel under the weather, and both kids love this and gobbled it up last weekend. I’ve enjoyed leftovers for the past two days at lunch as well. It’s loosely inspired by a recipe my friend Laura passed on to me as Whole 30 compliant when I completed Whole 30 last year, but I have modified it a lot to suit our tastes, and it has become a favorite of ours. It’s one of those clean-out-the-fridge recipes, and it always turns out just a little different than the last time I made it, but it’s always reliably good. I’m convinced that the combination of garlic, coconut oil, homemade chicken broth, and 5 veggies can fix almost anything.
__________________________________
Thai Vegetable Soup
- 5 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
- dash of dried ginger
- spoonful of coconut oil
- 1 chopped onion
- 1 sliced red bell pepper (I often leave this out if I don’t have it handy.)
- handful of chopped or shredded carrots
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 1 chicken breast (or 1 cup of previously cooked shredded chicken)
- 4 cups of chicken broth (Homemade is best.)
- 1 can coconut milk
- 2-3 cups of chopped greens (bok choy or swiss chard is my usual choice)
___________________
Add the coconut oil to a skillet, and then saute the onion and garlic. Add carrots, mushrooms, red pepper, and ginger.
If your chicken is not yet cooked, boil broth separately and cook chicken breast while veggies are sauteing. Remove chicken, shred, and set it aside.
Combine broth and coconut milk in a pot and add your cooked veggies. Stir. Add shredded chicken. Let it simmer for 10 minutes or so. Lastly, add chopped greens and cook another 10 minutes.
Serve hot and save the leftovers! It reheats well. (I’ve also doubled this and frozen it, and I portion it in quart ziplock bags for a great lunch option straight from your freezer.)
*** As a side note, two of these ingredients are already in my freezer. About once a month, I use the method detailed here to cook a whole chicken in the crockpot. I then freeze shredded chicken to have on hand for tacos, casseroles, soups, salad toppers, etc. And I make bone broth the following day to freeze as well. Freezer options get dinner on the table during busy weeknights!
Mama the Reader 