Immunity Soup

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Immunity Soup straight from the freezer.  Great to have on hand
when you are feeling a bit under the weather and need a good hot
soup.  Just thaw, heat and eat.

Recipe from Cooking Light

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Serves 8

A good chicken soup is something I always crave when I’m feeling a bit puny.  This one is not only tasty, but it has lots of immunity boosting ingredients:  chickpeas and chicken for zinc; kale for antioxidant vitamin C; garlic for allicin, one of the most powerful antioxidants; crushed red pepper for capsaicin for adding heat to clear sinuses; mushrooms for vitamin D; and steaming hot stock that not only keeps you hydrated but will make your nose run and help flush out congestion.  When you feel a cold coming on, prepare this easy-to-make soup. This recipe makes plenty of soup to last through a typical cold.  Drink lots of liquids and get some rest and you’ll feel better in no time.  Try making yourself a Hot Toddy to sip right before bedtime too.

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 ½ cups onion

3 celery stalks, thinly sliced

2 large carrots, scrubbed and thinly sliced

1 lb. mushrooms (I use baby Portobello mushrooms.)

10 cloves garlic, minced (I know this seems like a lot, but garlic mellows as it cooks.)

8 cups unsalted chicken or vegetable stock

4 thyme sprigs or 1 heaping teaspoon dried thyme

2 bay leaves

1 (15 oz.) can unsalted chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 lb. skinless, bone-in chicken breasts

1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

12 oz. curly kale, stems removed, leaves torn

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onion, celery, and carrots; cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and garlic; cook, stirring often, 3 minutes.  Stir in the stock, thyme, bay leaves, and chickpeas; bring to a simmer.  Add the chicken, salt and red pepper cover and simmer until chicken is done, about 25 minutes.  Remove chicken from the Dutch oven; cool slightly.  Shred meat with 2 forks; discard bones.  Stir chicken and kale into soup; cover and simmer until the kale is just tender, about 5 minutes.  Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves.  Serve.

Nutritional Info per 1 ½ cup serving:  253 calories; 6.5 g fat; 28 g protein; 22 g carbs; 6 g fiber; 5 g sugars; 54 mg cholesterol; 2 mg iron; 581 mg sodium; 116 mg calcium