Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Foul Weather Fowl Soup

Well, it's official - I'm sick. Again. Because it's Winter, and that's what happens. I'm giving my school kids a pass on this one, since this time around I managed to avoid the flu - trading it for an ear, sinus and chest infection rolled into one!

I know I always appreciate having a prepared, go-to meal in my back pocket, whether it's because I'm sick or because I'm just too worn out to cook during the week. Luckily, I didn't even have  to think about making this during the week, because I had a few small armies of children help me make it in class a few weeks ago! This simple, hearty and vegetable-laden soup was a great frugal recipe for us to make, especially given that the weather was reaching down into the -20°Cs then and the weather in general was downright frightful! To keep costs low, I used up leftover Christmas turkey meat and some homemade broth, but even with storebought ingredients it doesn't break the bank! It was also easy enough for the kids to make (with supervision), they did all the chopping, measuring and tasting!

My home ec class' "Foul Weather Fowl Soup" #proud #teacher #montessori

Soup is the perfect choice for when you're laid up at home, since even if you're making a batch from scratch while sniffling and coughing, it's easy work and the smell is just as therapeutic as the taste - even more so if your tastebuds are on vacation too! I'm also one of those people who just can't remind themselves to drink fluids (other than tea) if bumming around the house, so a bowl of soup - while not as ideal as pure water - can help keep those levels up. In fact, if you (or your loved ones) are off with the stomach flu, homemade soup is great, thanks to the sodium and potassium in the broth!

No matter why you make it, there's no denying a bowl of this is 100% comfort food that hugs you from the inside! Just ask my sous-chefs :-).

Foul Weather Fowl Soup
Serves 8
8 cups low sodium storebought or homemade chicken broth
2 large carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced into half-moons
2 medium celery stalks, halved lengthwise and sliced
2 leeks, halved and thinly sliced
2 tsp tamari or soy sauce
1 tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried rosemary
½ tsp poultry seasoning
1 ½ cups dried pasta shapes or broken spaghetti
2 cups diced or shredded cooked chicken or turkey
Salt and pepper, to taste
Optional: frozen peas, halved snow peas, corn, baby spinach, diced broccoli 
  1. Bring the broth to a simmer over medium-high heat.
  2. Add the carrots, celery, leeks, tamari, thyme, rosemary, poultry seasoning and pepper, stirring to combine.
  3. Return to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer (stirring occasionally) until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
  4. Stir in the noodles and chicken* and cook a further 6-7 minutes, until the noodles are done.
  5. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve!
*If using any of the optional ingredients, add them with the chicken.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 169.9
Total Fat: 1.7 g
Cholesterol: 34.8 mg
Sodium: 1,087.0 mg
Total Carbs: 21.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.8 g
Protein: 15.2 g

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