No fat Creamy Veggie and Chicken soup

I was yelled at by my dear friend Corrie yesterday because I told her about this amazing soup I made.  I mean it was so yummy in my tummy and I had to share the news of its yum with her. Well, I got yelled at because while I keep telling her about yummy food, I haven't been blogging any recipes.

Creamy and oh so good!

Honestly, there isn't much of a recipe. Soup, in my opinion, is one of the easiest things to make.  Or at least it can be.  You take your favorite veggies, meats, and starches and add them to broth or water, simmer, boil.. let cook and there you go.

First, these are the ingredients I used, but feel free to use whatever vegetables you have in your refrigerator; besides what I used, you can use asparagus, any squash, celery, potatoes, etc. Also, this is a great way to use left over meat.  We had 2 or 3 rotisserie chickens a few days ago and honestly, I hate left over chicken, I'll eat it once, but thats about it.  In soup, its so delicious, the chicken comes back to life! Anyway, here is my recipe.

I don't eat bread with my soup, but seemed like a good photo op!

Ingredients:

• 1 large Onion, chopped
• 4 cloves Garlic, chopped (no need to make so small, it'll be blended)
• 3 Carrots, cleaned and chopped
• 2 Zucchini, cleaned and chopped
• 1 head broccoli (you can use just the stalks if you're not a stalk lover, you get the nutrients without having to eat them outa soup, but I love the whole "tree"), chopped
• Broth or water
• Chicken leftovers
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon Gram masala

Start by sauteing the chopped onion in olive oil and butter as it gets translucent add the garlic (you don't want to add garlic too soon, because it will burn/brown fast). At this point you can add all the vegetables and the broth or water. I used part broth and part water because I didn't have a lot of broth.  I actually made the broth by boiling the bones the meat was on, and strained it right into the soup. Also at this point add a the salt, pepper and gram masala.  Start by adding a little, and once its come to a boil, taste the broth, and adjust the flavor.  You can always add more, but if you add too much, you'll be sorry! 

I cooked the soup until the vegetables were soft, then I used an immersion blender, like this one, to blend all the ingredients.  If you have one, you can use a regular blender, but I'm lazy and an immersion blender is easier to clean!

Once the vegetables looked like they were all blended (this does take a little longer than a countertop blender) I added the chicken. The breasts, I cut up into bite sized pieces, but smaller parts of the chicken, I just broke apart and shredded by hand. Its easier and gives it a more organic look.

Since the chicken is cold, I let it come back to a boil, or simmer for a bit and serve! Thats it!

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I think most people think you have to have a fatty, cream filled soup for the soup to be creamy and amazing. Maybe I just love vegetables too much, but this soup was so good, and so creamy without a drop of dairy and only about 1 tablespoon of butter.

Try it, and let me know what you think! But don't be afraid to add your own vegetables!