brunosdream

I’ve been sick, so I decided making soup would help cure what’s been ailing me. I was craving veggie soup, went to the store for fresh produce and threw this together. It made the house smell so good, and tasted equally delicious! Then I thought, “write the recipe down and share it”. Sometimes my best recipes start as a whim… this is one of them!! I hope you enjoy it as much as I have the last couple of days.

Vegetable Soup w/ Chicken and Rice

Ingredients:

3 arbol chiles – crumbled

2 branches dry rosemary – leaves only

1 teaspoon dry oregano

10 dry sage leaves – crumbled

6 branches dry thyme – leaves only

2 bay leaves

2 ears corn  – slice kernels from ears

1 bunch Swiss chard – stems cut in 3/4 inch pieces and leaves cut in 1 inch pieces

4 carrots – peeled, split in half lengthwise and cut in 3/4 inch pieces

1 medium butternut squash – peeled, seeded and cut in 3/4 inch pieces

1/2 red onion – peeled and cut in 1/2 inch dice

4 garlic cloves – peeled and sliced

1/2 pint cooked rice

1 whole boneless, skinless chicken breast – cut in 1/2 inch cubes

3 leeks (white part only) – cut in 3/4 inch pieces

1 cup crimini mushrooms – sliced

1 1/2 cups tomato – cut in 1/2 inch dice

1 quart veggie stock

1 quart water

1/2 + 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1) Add 1/2 tablespoon olive oil to a large pot and sweat the squash, leek, chard stems, mushrooms, onions, garlic, and carrots for 10 to 15 minutes over low heat

2) Stir in the herbs and chile

3) Add the tomato, corn, stock and water – stir to combine

4) Simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered, over medium heat

5) Meanwhile, add remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil to a large saute pan and saute the chicken over medium high heat until just cooked through – season w/ salt and pepper

6) Add chard leaves, chicken and rice to soup pot and simmer for an additional 15 minutes – taste and add more salt if needed

7) Eat!!

P. S. – If you’re a vegetarian, just omit the chicken, and voila…  you’ll have a wonderful vegetarian meal!

To your health…

Bruno