Yoga Soup for the Soul (Bodies Too!)
This yoga “soup for the soul” recipe was created for a special yoga-related event that, luckily, happened on a cold, dreary, Seattle day. Yep, the Emerald City held true to its reputation for “raining all the time.” After an hour-long session of downward dogs and low cobras, class attendees further nourished their souls with this richly-flavored chicken, red lentil, and vegetable stew. Lemon offers a refreshing and clean detoxification while fennel gives an anti-oxidant boost. We think you’ll agree that this recipe is just what your yogi ordered!
Yields: 2 quarts, approx. 8 full-cup servings
Cooking time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
1 whole rotisserie chicken, deboned, skin removed, and meat pulled into shreds
1 medium leek, white and pale green parts only, split lengthwise, rinsed, and sliced into thin rounds
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into ½” rounds
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
2 small zucchini squash, cut into ½” chunks
1 Tbsp Essential Pantry Fennel Seeds
1 stalk lemongrass, trimmed and cut lengthwise
1 shallot, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
Juice of one lemon
1 ½ quarts water + 4 tsp Glace de Poulet Gold® Roasted Chicken Stock
1 cup Sunrise Red Zero-Tannin Lentils
2 Tbsp Rice Bran Oil
Directions:
In a medium-sized stockpot, bring to boil 1 quart of water. Stir in chicken glace to create a richly-flavor stock. Use more glace if a richer flavor is desired. Add lentils, reduce heat to medium, and cover pot with lid. Cook for approximately 15-20 minutes until lentils are soft.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add the fennel seeds, leeks, carrots, celery and zucchini and stir to coat with oil. Sauté over medium heat for five minutes, stirring occasionally.
When lentils are soft, purée into stock with an immersion/hand-stick blender, or purée in batches using standard blender. Return purée to stockpot. Add the sautéed veggies, minced shallot and garlic, lemongrass, and pulled chicken to the stockpot. Stir to incorporate. Bring this to a soft boil then reduce to simmer. Let soup simmer for 30 minutes, covered. Uncover the soup occasionally to check the liquid level and stir.
Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice to give a slight citrus burst. Extra soup for the soul may be stored, covered, in your refrigerator for up to 5 days. Stir in some water when reheating if it is too thick.
Namasté!
