Time for it to Go!

With Christmas in full effect and the daily craze of school and work upon us, Thanksgiving, in my mind,  feels a bit far away; however, my refrigerator tells a different story.  Even though my husband has eaten Thanksgiving for breakfast and lunch for the last 5 days, much turkey remains and frankly, I am just tired of looking at it! It is time for it to go...but not to the trash!

I cringe at the thought of throwing out food since in our home, food costs ALOT! I remember when my brother found out that we were getting a Whole Foods in Jacksonville; he informed me, "You know what we say in Tennessee....Whole Foods-Whole Paycheck!"  That's no joke! Eating organic, whole foods free of GMOs, pesticides, allergens, and other mysterious ingredients is not cheap. It can be a very expensive lifestyle...but one with worthwhile benefits for your present health and future!

So...what to do? In the Godfrey house of organized chaos, there is a predictable constant: random vegetables with no particular planned purpose means one of two things.....STIR FRY or SOUP!

So the hunt began...the obvious first was the container of turkey pieces and parts; definitely I was using that in my dinner creation. I found a lonely parsnip and a couple potatoes that didn't make it into the roasted root vegetable dish. Then there were mushrooms, carrots, celery, and herbs I obviously purchased way too much of in hopeful anticipation of having extra guests to join us in giving thanks. Oh, and thanks to my son's most recent perseveration of alphabetizing fruits and vegetables....we have a couple leeks, as he has become fascinated with this wild looking veggie.

OK .... no question about it .... soup it is!

Thing is I have never made turkey soup before. I don't know why, because it sounds like a good, tasty thing to do. And guess what...it is, at least this one is, way beyond good. In fact, for my kids - It was bottom of the bowl drinking fabulous!

 

 

Ahh...look how beautiful all these random veggies are together!

Ok, I accept the fact that I may be tad weird...but fresh veggies, these veggies...they make me smile.

So I got out my biggest pot (I have learned that when I make soup, it grows and grows until perfection is achieved!) and began chopping.

Because most of the soup ingredients will go in the pot at the same time, it is best to have all the ingredients ready from the start. You will need the following amounts of chopped veggies: 

1 ½ cups peeled carrot

1 cup peeled parsnips

2 cups celery

2 ¼ cups leeks

2 peeled potatoes

2 cups mushrooms

Now the fun begins. Heat (med-high setting) 3 tablespoons of avocado oil in the large pot. Add all of the chopped veggies into the heated oil. Use a wooden spoon to stir the veggies around making sure the oil is evenly spread amongst them. Sprinkle on 1 ½ - 2 teaspoons of sea salt, ½  - 1 teaspoon of black pepper, and ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder. Continue to stir.

 
 

Wash and then coarsely chop 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary (just the green leaves). Add it to the sautéing veggies. Continue sautéing for 10-12 minutes.

Pour in 12 cups of organic free range, gluten free chicken broth. (Now, had I had room in my refrigerator, I would have saved the turkey carcass and made BONE BROTH! If you did save it, get busy making that nutritious turkey broth and have it ready before starting this recipe!) Add 3 whole sprigs of thyme (this means woody stem and all leaves in the bunch). Throw in 2 bay leaves and 2 cups of diced turkey meat. Bring the pot to a boil for 10 minutes and then reduce the temperature to med-low. Cover. Now wait and savor the smell of your glorious soup!

At this point the soup looked good but a little incomplete. I felt it needed something dark green. Sighing that I used all my kale at lunch in my smoothie...I had a thought...a smile...grabbed my scissors and headed to the back yard to cut some COLLARD GREENS!

 

After 20 -30 minutes of soup simmering,  I threw in about 5 ripped up collard leaves with the stems removed. You could use Swiss chard or kale, and I think it would still taste fantastic.

Be patient and give the flavors time to merge and evolve.

Now, walk outside. Seriously, do it. Take a few deep breaths. Open the door and walk back in. Breathe in nice and slow....as you inhaled, did your lips curl into a smile? If they did, you worked some magic and that pot will be scrumptious.

Give a little taste test. I did at this point, and although it was really tasty and would please the pickiest of eaters, I felt it was still missing something. I opened the refrigerator hoping to be inspired, and there it was: the container of left-over gravy. Into the pot it went, and the most amazing transformation happened. It was as if all the warmth and joy and love of Thanksgiving reappeared on my taste buds. Yes ... this was the secret ingredient. I added about ¼ cup of water to the pot and tossed on a tiny bit more salt, pepper, and garlic...to taste.

At this point cover the pot and turn the temperature to low until you are ready to eat. Start putting together some yummy rolls or biscuits and enjoy your savory soup!

 

Freeze the remaining soup, as you made a ton, and treat yourself to this delicious, nutrient-packed meal on a another cold night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Farm to Table...not such a far distance!

So since you are reading this, I know you have some interest in eating “healthy” or being “healthier”. Seems however to be a challenging thing to be, as what is considered “healthy” seems to change like the seasons. Truth is though…the most nutritional foods have not changed: if it came from the earth and not a factory or through a window, well, it is probably pretty “healthy”. This simple health equation can take on a twist though when food allergies, IgG food sensitivities, leaky gut, and other genetic or autoimmune factors are present. As for my family…we are TWISTED!

When we began our “life on air” 7 ½ years ago, we were focused on eating gluten free and casein free. Very quickly we modified it even more by eliminating the allergens from severe food sensitivities (IgG food allergies…and there were many, 35 foods!!). Then came the cleaner side of things…going organic; but that is no longer enough!! Now there is the added dimension on top of all that of avoiding GMOs.  Oh, and don’t forget to eat “in season”. And the most current health trend:  Farm to Table!

In my free time (haha, what’s that?), I really enjoy being outdoors, working hard, feeling the warmth of the sun, and breaking a sweat…pair that with my love of fresh food (snobbery), and creating my own garden seems to be a fantastic idea!

In my “pre-mommy” days…before I was terrified of (aware of) the negative health implications of fertilizers and pesticides…I had an amazing garden! Tons of tomatoes and so many varieties of hot peppers that almost everything we ate was “kicked up” a notch. I had zucchini the size of my cat and gorgeous bell peppers. Now, with all my wonderful knowledge of organic living, to my surprise, my garden, well… it has not been so plentiful (I have an ever increasing appreciation for organic farmers!). That being said, I do have hope this fall all that will change!

This is my first fall garden!

 
 

Everything looks so fresh, “alive”, and radiating promise of a great harvest! SO… what fresh vegetables are growing here?

Cauliflower, Collards, Kale, Romaine Lettuce, Salad mixer (varieties of lettuce), Basil, Mint, Oregano, Thyme, Cilantro, and Sage.

 
 

I love my garden! Something is just so right and peaceful about it; just being around it emanates a feeling of calm and connectedness throughout me.  On top of all those feel good feelings… it is a great activity for our family. The kids got really excited to select what we would grow this fall. (Yes, my kids get excited about cauliflower! Live on the “Air Diet” and yours will too!) And my super awesome husband rigged it with an irrigation system sure to keep things growing… seriously that was not on his “honey-do list”.

Now it’s time to wait for our first harvest and get some recipes together that will showcase our yummy project!

What am I drooling about? Cauliflower Kale Soup, Collard Wraps, Garlic Collard Greens, Super Stew, Kale Smoothies, and Fresh Juice. Oh, and salad….amazing salads! (Seriously, I am smiling with anticipation and excitement!) If it sounds good to you, keep checking in to see what recipes I share!

So easy and so simple to eat “healthy” as well as gluten free, casein free, organic, NON GMO, and in season, when the farm is in your back yard! Check off all those boxes…and check out how revived you and your family will feel as you fuel it with all that it needs for healing and healthy living.

So here is my first Pre-Harvest, Gluten Free, Casein Free, Organic, NON GMO, in Season, Farm to Table Recipe Give Away…. Enjoy!

Cauliflower Kale Soup

I love this soup on a cool fall night, and to my surprise my children do also! I am excited to try it when made with cauliflower and kale from our own garden!

For achieving the best flavor, please use “organic virgin coconut oil” as it helps to create depth and tasteful complexity to this delicious soup. Also…a little tested tip:  Remember to allow the soup to cool before placing it in the blender. The steam will cause the soup to explode out of the top of the blender if you try to mix it while it is too hot. (I had to learn the hard way!)

 
 

 

Cauliflower Kale Soup

What You Need:
2 heads cauliflower, washed and chopped
3 tablespoons organic virgin
coconut oil, melted
sea salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 large onion, diced (sweet, yellow, or red)
1½ cups chopped, peeled carrot
4 sprigs of fresh rosemary, removed from stem and chopped
8 cups organic chicken broth
2-3 handfuls of kale leaves
½ teaspoon freshly diced cayenne pepper

What To Do:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°.
  2. Place the cauliflower pieces in a large bowl. Pour the coconut oil over the cauliflower and toss until evenly coated.
  3. Arrange the cauliflower on a glass baking dish and sprinkle with sea salt, black pepper and garlic. Bake for 40 minutes, turning halfway through the cooking time. The cauliflower should be tender-crisp with lightly browned edges. (If using a metal pan, decrease oven temperature and bake time)
  4. In a large pot, melt 2 tablespoons of organic virgin coconut oil. Add the diced onion, chopped carrot, and rosemary. Sauté for about 8-10 minutes over medium-high heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Add 7 cups of organic chicken broth to the pot and bring to a rolling boil for 5 minutes. Reduce temperature to low. Add kale leaves and freshly diced cayenne pepper. Cover and continue to heat for 5-8 minutes.
  6. Add most of the roasted cauliflower to the broth mixture (reserve about 1/3 of the cauliflower). Turn off the heat and allow the soup to cool slightly.
  7. Using a ladle, scoop out portions of the soup and place it into a blender. Blend the cauliflower-kale-broth mixture until well combined. Continue this process until the entire pot of soup is a smooth texture. It will appear light green with green specs.
  8. Add the remaining cauliflower to the pot of soup. Add salt and pepper to taste, if needed. You may even enjoy a few more fresh kale leaves tossed into the mix. The kale will soften as the soup continues to heat.
  9. Continue to warm the soup on a semi-low heat, and serve alone or with a mixed greens salad and toasted bread.