Soup for the soul—and the body

 

January marks the beginning of what poets and novelists often call “the bleak midwinter.” It’s a time when we too often regret the excesses of the holiday season. Did you gain pounds? I never pay attention to that, but I know well the feeling of having had too much rich, heavy food (and there’s still eggnog in my fridge, begging to be drunk). I have friends who annually foreswear alcohol and snacks for the month of January, another resolution I ignore, though I know I drank more wine and ate more chocolate in those days in Santa Fe with my family.

And yet, January can be blustery and cold. In Fort Worth, we call that stock show weather, because sure as rain the annual Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show (no, it’s no longer called the Fat Stock Show) brings ice, sleet, and cold temperatures. And the weather is in true form this year—the stock show parade (no motorized vehicles) is Saturday, and the temperature is predicted to plunge to ten degrees by Monday morning.

Clearly, it’s soup weather. What’s your favorite? Split pea? Chicken and noodle? Cheeseburger soup? They all sound a bit heavy to me at this point, but I made a pot of chicken soup this week that was flavorful and warming yet light and low in calories. I don’t remember where I got the recipe nor what it was called, so for simplicity’s sake, I’ll call it chicken/avocado/lime soup. Bonus: it’s easy. Here’s what I did:

Ingredients

1-1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 cup chopped green onions (white and green parts)

2 jalapeños, seeded and chopped (leave the seeds if you want your soup hot—if you know me, you know I omitted the peppers)

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 cans low sodium chicken broth (I made four cups with Better than Bouillon and could have used more)

2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

½ tsp. ground cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

3 medium avocados

Optional for garnish: corn chips, sour cream, shredded jack cheese

Directions:

Heat one Tbsp. olive oil in your soup pot and sauté green onions and jalapeños until tender, adding minced garlic at the end—do not let the garlic burn. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, cumin, salt and pepper, and chicken. Bring to a boil and quickly reduce heat to simmer (I wasn’t paying attention and let it boil a bit, which toughens the chicken). Put the lid on the pan and cook until chicken is thoroughly done. Stir from time to time.

Remove chicken from pot and let cool. Keep soup warm on a low setting. When chicken is cool enough to handle, use two forks to shred it and then return it to the soup. Heat to serving temperature. When removed from burner, add cilantro and lime juice. Add avocadoes and any other garnish to individual servings.

This is a lot like tortilla soup but easier to make. And it’s delicious.