soup – Lessons of Thyme

I have been thinking a lot lately about what we waste. I think most of us don’t really think about how much we waste or throw away. I know I am guilty of buying things at the grocery store and throwing it out 2 weeks later not having used it. It’s so easy to just forget to utilize what we have. I have been pushing myself to waste less, use the ingredients I have and make use of the scraps. I have been making bone broths for years now, not knowing how amazing they actually are. I made them before because it always makes the most delicious soup bases but now I know the incredible health benefits it offers. Not only is it incredibly good for you, it utilizes scraps and helps you waste less.

Let me explain. When I am preparing dinner I always save my scraps from whatever I am using and I place it in ziploc bag and put it in the freezer. This includes onion and garlic skins, carrot tops, potato skins, broccoli stems. All these things have tons of nutrients and flavour still in them and don’t need to go in the waste bin. (I haven’t started my composting yet.) I also like to buy whole chickens. If you know how to disassemble a chicken it’s way more cost effective to buy whole versus packaged chicken breast or legs. After cooking the chicken I immediately start my bone broth. It’s super simple. Place the bones in a stock pot, add the scraps, then I usually add more onion, garlic, carrot, and celery to the broth. I also love adding fresh herbs from my garden. Rosemary, thyme, dill, and a few whole peppercorns. With bone broth you have to let it boil for more than 8 hours. (I usually boil it for 24 hours.) That’s the difference between a stock and a bone broth. Bone broth has had time to produce gelatin from collagen-rich joints and also release a small amount of minerals from the bones.

Collagen

Collagen is basically human glue, it’s the substance that holds us all together. Boosting our collagen will aid in joint pain, leaky gut and most importantly skin elasticity.

Minerals

The minerals and amino acids the bone both creates can help detox your liver and digestive system and also aid in cellular detoxification. (with regular consumption) With the bone broth detoxing you, your body will have less issues with acne, dermatitis, and eczema.

Nutrients

Have I mentioned how nutrient dense this stuff is yet? Let me tell you, bone broth has over 19 easy-to-absorb amino acids that helps boost skin renewal and balance hormones that cause acne. It’s honestly such a simple and tasty way to balance out your system.

When drinking your bone broth I always find its better to cut it with an acid, a little salt, and some herbs. The flavour of the bone broth can often be quite rich. Here is a link to Kale and Carmels Bone Broth Recipes, both are delish, but when I am in a hurry in the morning I like to keep it simple.

Daily Bone Broth:

1 cup bone broth
Lime juice
Cilantro
Salt and Pepper

The full recipe for the bone broth from the beginning is:

Ingredients

1 chicken carcass
veggie scraps (whetever you have)
2 onions quartered
3 whole garlic cloves
1 celery roughly chopped
1 carrot roughly chopped
Bunch of thyme
Bunch of rosemary
Bunch of dill
10 whole peppercorns
Water (cover ingredients in pot)

Instructions

Bring to a boil
Lower heat to a simmer on low. Simmer for over 8 hours, I usually simmer mine for 24 hrs.
Strain out all scraps.
Pour bone broth into containers. It can last up to a week in the fridge, but can be frozen for a few months.

Soup always feels like a fall or winter sort of meal. It warms the whole house as it stews on the stovetop. As an Edmontonian the spring time isn’t always filled with sunshine and flowers. It’s mostly cool with a usual chance of a snowstorm. So as May was nearing I felt it was important to get a hot soup on the menu.

Soups are amazing because you can create different kinds just by adding whats in the fridge. Jeremie and I had a mishap earlier in the week with some vegetarian enchiladas. The recipe called for squash, sweet potato and other ingredients but as we took our first bite we were troubled to find it was made from inferno chili powder. It was too hot for us. I like to think I can handle some heat but I couldn’t manage to finish the enchiladas. Good news was I have a friend who came by and devoured them for me. He is a spice machine. Long story short… I had squash and sweet potato left over in the fridge. I thought the flavours would pair well with a thai palette. Mostly because I love Thai food.

This recipe is super easy to make and doesn’t take too long. Thats what I love about soup, they are complex with tons of favour but are so simple to make.

Coconut Rice:

1 can full fat coconut milk
1 cup of water
1 cup of Jasmine Rice

Soup:

1 tbsp coconut oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1 inch of ginger, grated
2 carrots, diced
1 cup butternut squash, cubed
1 cup sweet potato, cubed
3 1/2 cups of chicken or veggie stock
1 can full fat coconut milk
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 tbsp red Thai curry paste
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 lime, juiced
1/4 cup cilantro
1 tsp basil (dried) or 1/4 cup fresh basil

Garnish with peanuts, avocado, and cilantro

Instructions:

Wash rice! washing the rice is an important step that should never be skipped. It removes the starchy-ness of the rice and cooks and tastes better. Add coconut milk, water and rice to a medium saucepan, set stove top to medium high heat, cover and allow to come to a boil. Once the rice has boiled I usually like to turn down the temperature as to not burn the bottom or overflow the pot. You can leave this bubbling away for about 20 minutes.
In a large soup pot add coconut oil and allow it to melt. Add onions, garlic, ginger and carrots to the oil and allow to soften. Try not to burn the garlic.
Add the sweet potatoes, squash and chicken stock to the pot and bring to a boil. reduce heat and allow to simmer until tender. about 15 mins
I have a handheld immersion blender so I used that to blend the soup but if you don’t have one of those you can use a blender or food processor. Blend until soup is smooth.
Add coconut milk, peanut butter, curry paste, fish sauce, and lime juice to soup and blend together. Let this simmer for another 5 minutes. Add cilantro and basil and stir.
Laddle the soup into bowls, scoop a bit of rice on top, add a few slices of avacado, and garnish with a few crushed peanuts and fresh cilantro.

Tag: soup

Why Everyone Should Drink Bone Broth