It never fails, as soon as the winter weather changes, my kids come home with the sniffles! I like to boost their immune systems with smoothies, local honey, and hearty soups. In our house, we call hearty soup “Stone Soup”. Do you remember that old children’s story? Many townspeople come together, adding a small amount of what they have into a large pot full of water and a “magic stone”. Carrots, onions, potatoes, chicken… a little bit of everything goes into the pot. Then the stone is removed and to everyone’s delight the soup tastes delicious!
When all of these nutritious ingredients come together, they taste wonderful and make you feel wonderful too! My kids love the flavor of this broth and don’t feel like I’m pumping them full of vitamins. I like to use onions for vitamin C and many other antioxidants, mushrooms for vitamin D, carrots for vitamin A, potatoes for vitamin C, ground turkey for protein and chicken broth for amino acids and hydration. You can make this soup ahead of time and let it sit in the slow cooker, or prepare it 30 minutes before dinner time on the stovetop! It is gluten and dairy free, yet creamy and comforting on a cold day.
To begin, heat 1-2 Tbsp of olive or avocado oil in the bottom of your soup pot. Add 1 lb of ground turkey and brown until cooked through. Dice ½ of a yellow onion and add to the pot, scraping up any brown bits left behind by the meat. When the meat and onions are cooked through, add 4 cups of chicken broth and 1 can of full fat coconut milk to the pot. Raise heat to medium high. Dice 3 small yukon gold potatoes and add to the pot. Peel and chop two large carrots and two cloves of garlic, then add to the pot. Rinse and chop 1 cup of broccoli, then add to the pot. (You can easily swap in a different green veggie like zucchini, peas or bell peppers) Rinse and chop 1 cup of mushrooms, then add to the pot. (If your kids do not like mushrooms, chop them into large pieces so you can easily remove them from their bowls, but kiddos will still absorb some of their nutrients from the broth) Add 1 tsp of salt and stir. Reduce the heat to a gentle boil and continue cooking for 20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through. Salt and pepper to taste.
Immunity Soup
Ingredients:
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 3 small yukon gold potatoes, chopped
- 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 medium broccoli, chopped
- 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 (15-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tsp sea salt
Directions:
- Heat 1-2 Tbsp of olive or avocado oil in the bottom of your soup pot. Add 1 lb of ground turkey and brown until cooked through.
- Add diced yellow onion to the pot, scraping up any brown bits left behind by the meat.
- When the meat and onions are cooked through, add chicken broth and coconut milk.
- Raise heat to medium high and add salt, potatoes, carrots, garlic, broccoli, and mushrooms to the pot.
- Reduce heat to a gentle boil and continue cooking for 20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through. Salt and pepper to taste.
Enjoy!