Whole New Soup

If  you are looking for a warm, hearty, comforting meal for a cold winter's day, this recipe is for you. If you are looking for a new source for info on whole foods, or gluten-free living, this recipe, or more so, this post, is for you. If you are looking for new ways to include dark leafy greens into your diet b/c they are SO good for us, this recipe is for you! Wow, that's a lot of  "bang for your buck". My friend Amber started blogging her journey of switching her family to whole foods this past summer. Then a couple months ago, that journey took a drastic turn, when b/c of her daughter's health issues, the next step became living gluten-free. You can read all about this change, and see great ideas and tips on Amber's blog Whole Foods for Whole Families. Back in December she posted a recipe for a Chicken and Rice Soup that really caught my eye, and it wasn't b/c of either of those ingredients! The item that immediately drew me in was the kale. Why? Well,  I am always looking for ways to include dark leafy greens into our diets b/c they are packed full of nutrients, and kale happens to be one I don't have many recipes for. I took that recipe, and was off and running w/ ideas in my head, one of which was to include cream. The reason for this is quite simple. My favorite soup at Olive Garden, Zuppa Toscana, not only contains kale, but cream too. I love the flavor combination. In fact, that soup was the first dish I ever had kale in. So I figured why not include it here for an extra depth of flavor. The end result? A meal in a bowl that my family agreed was delicious! I will be honest, if you want a much healthier version, please visit Amber's blog and look over the original recipe. Either way, I hope this helps to warm your family's stomachs on a cold evening, very soon!

Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
1 package chicken tenders
2 TBS olive oil, plus extra for chicken
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 TBS butter
4 medium carrots, diced
1 small onion, mined
3 ribs celery w/ leafy tops, diced
2 tsp dried thyme
1 TBS dried parsley
2 boxes chicken broth
1 (8.8 oz) package Uncle Ben's Wild Rice (microwave packet), cooked according to package directions
1 cup water
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
3 c. kale, washed and chopped

To prepare chicken, preheat oven to 400. Line a baking pan w/ foil. Place chicken tenders on pan, drizzle w/ olive oil and season w/ salt and pepper. Roast for 20-30 minutes until cooked through. Cool and shred or cut into bite sized pieces.

In a large pot over medium heat, saute onion, carrots and celery in 2 TBS oil and 1 TBS butter, until tender. Season w/ salt and pepper. Add chicken, thyme and parsley and cook for a few minutes more. Add broth water, and cooked rice.  Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10-15 minutes on low heat. Add kale and simmer about 10 minutes more until it's bright green and wilted. Add cream, stir and heat until back up to temperature, about 5 minutes.

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Soup at Very Good Recipes
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