I love “stick to your ribs” soups and so do my kids. Good news because soup is cheap, makes great leftovers and can be easily made clean eating. In fact, most homemade soups are clean. The issue arises when you eat out. I never order a soup at a restaurant because that is not what I go to a restaurant for. Restaurant is for something I can’t make at home. Like a killer burger, chicken wings or pizza. I mean I could but that is too much work and not great for leftovers. Since we do not buy deli meat, our lunch is dinner leftovers. All I mentioned above is a treat once in years.
So, since all we do is hockey on weekends (I still have no idea how I talked myself into that time and money wise) some weekends we HAVE to eat lunch out. Physically, I can’t cook every day 2 meals per day. Tim Hortons is an affordable Canadian fast food restaurant chain comparable maybe to Panera in the US. I honestly don’t know, never ate there. They don’t offer burgers but rather sandwiches, soup and donuts. I do let my boys eat their treat there, let’s say about every 3 weeks. It won’t kill them considering they eat quinoa and kale pretty regularly. I mean, I am yet to meet kids that eat better than mine.
At Tim Hortons, I usually order chili this time of the year and boys get a sandwich. But what I have been eyeing on their menu are SOUPS. Thick, rich, chock full of everything and probably a load of crap too. Like what are they thickened with?! Like what tail ends and ear muscles are in my chilli?! Well, I don’t think I wanna know. It is a survival meal so doesn’t matter.
So, I made a Tim Hortons type of soup but all organic and healthy one Friday night sipping on wine. I swear my best recipes are the ones that are totally unplanned and throw everything together. I found a smart way to thicken it – cornmeal! Man, that is genius. And I personally love wild rice and white beans. Those ingredients are not something I eat on a regular basis so it was nice to eat different soup even with different kind of rice and beans. Small things but life is full of them, right?!
Do not be intimidated by the long list of ingredients. Many of them are staple spices that more likely you have on hand or should have! Amazon (if you are in the US) is THE BEST place to buy organic, pesticide free and quality spices. I tried this soup both with chicken breasts and soup bones. We love organic soup bones because of the richness and believe in their health benefits. Just watch your teeth if you are not 15 anymore. This recipe makes a lot which lasts us only 2 meals but if you are a normal person you can easily freeze the leftovers. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 14 oz cans white beans, rinsed & drained or 1.5 cups dried
- 2 lbs soup bones or 2 large chicken breasts
- 3 quarts (12 cups) water
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 cup wild rice
- 1 cup water
- 3 tbsp cornmeal
- 1 tsp coconut or avocado oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 large celery stalks, diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 3 medium potatoes, cubed
- 1 tsp oregano, dried
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp rosemary, dried
- 1/2 tsp thyme, dried
- 1/4 tsp coriander, ground
- 1/4 tsp cumin, ground
- 2 1/4 tsp himalayan pink salt*
- 1/2 cup dill or parsley, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
Directions
- If using dried beans (I did), soak them overnight in 5 cups cold water. Rinse and drain.
- In a large pot or dutch oven, add 12 cups water, soup bones or chicken, beans and bay leaves. Cover, bring to a boil and cook on low heat for 45-60 minutes. In the meanwhile, soak wild rice in 1 cup water.
- Drain rice and add to the pot along with cornmeal. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
- In the meanwhile, preheat medium non-stick skillet on medium heat and swirl oil to coat. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring frequently. Add celery and carrots; cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to the pot along with potatoes, oregano, paprika, rosemary, thyme, coriander, cumin and salt. Cover and cook for 20 minutes.
- Remove beef bones or chicken, and either slice with a knife or shred with a fork. Return to the pot along with dill or parsley and green onions. Soup will become thicker the longer it sits covered, on the stove and off the heat. For this consistency, it took about 2 hours. However, you can serve it before that.
Notes
*If using canned beans, use less salt.
Nutritional Info*
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Amount Per Serving = 2 cups:
Calories: 377.7
Total Fat: 1.4 g
Cholesterol: 55.0 mg
Sodium: 650.3 mg
Total Carbs: 51.8 g
Dietary Fiber: 4.4 g
Protein: 37.5 g
WW Points+: 9
*Since soup bones differ and I had a hard time finding nutritional values, I used 2 lbs of chicken breasts in above calorie calculations for accuracy.
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