PALEO CHICKEN, BACON AND VEGETABLE SOUP

This is a right winter warmer for you guys! Made this recipe up about a month ago now and have done a further 3 batches since, l simply cant get enough of it!!!

Its a really versatile dish that l have had for breakfast/dinner/tea and as a snack in a smaller portion. This is the kind of recipe that makes paleo food EASY whilst being nutritious and ticking all of the boxes.

For those that need it or would like a simple video walk through of the recipe you can find it by clicking here

The ingredients for a decent amount of paleo soup that will keep you going for quite some time are as follows;

1/2 litre of chicken stock
6 parsnips - STEAMED/BOILED until soft prior to using in this soup
4 carrots - STEAMED/BOILED until soft prior to using in this soup
1 onion
1 large floret of broccoli - STEAMED/BOILED prior to using in this soup
2 pieces of smoked bacon, diced
1 heaped teaspoon of garlic
1 heaped teaspoon of chilli
A handful of cooked chicken, again diced
Italian mixed herbs
Sea salt
Pepper

OPTIONAL - Mushrooms, roughly diced peppers, sun dried tomatoes, spinach 
(put them into a bowl, 3/4 fill and this will then make up your "chunky texture" elements of the soup)

This recipe has an element that you need to prepare in advance prior to STAGE 1, this being the chicken stock. 

* Coincide this with a paleo meal using a whole chicken and strip the carcuss of the meat. 
* Once this has been done put the left over carcuss and any skin into a large pan. 
* Add boiling water to the pan until it just covers the height of the bones. 
* Leave this to boil, once it has, simmer on a lower heat for 2/3 hours until you are left with a cloudy liquid. 
* Pass the liquid through a seive leaving you with a liquid which is your stock for your soup!

STEP 1 - Figure out which chunky ingredients you would like and put them in a bowl.

STEP 2 - Using a half teaspoon of coconut oil in a hot pan, begin to cook the diced onion with the garlic and chilli, pour in your bowl of mixed chunky ingredients and cook with the bacon.

STEP 3 - Get your steamed/boiled parsnips, carrots and broccoli ready to add to the food processor to make up the main body of the soup...with this keep a few pieces of each back and place into a cup so that it is around half full. We will add this to the soup when mixing it all together with the other texture ingredients to add a nice, different vegetable dimension to it.

STEP 4 - start to add your steamed vegetable to your food processor, you may find that you cant fit all of this in at once. Blend the vegetables down until they are like a thick paste. When the level of mixture in the processor lowers, add more vegetables that you have steamed to it and blend until it is all in and of the same consistency.

STEP 5 - as you continue to blend the vegetables down in the food processor, begin to pour in your COLD chicken stock that you have already prepared and allowed to cool. Add 1/4 of your chicken stock to begin with and again blend.

STEP 6 - keep adding your chicken stock until you get the desired consistency....l did all of it and was still left a nice thick soup! If you find that you have vegetables on the top that are not mixing with the rest of the mixture, press them down into the mixture with a fork and pulse again. Add salt, pepper and mixed herbs to taste.

STEP 7 - pour your current mix from the food processor into a large mixing bowl and add the cooked ingredients from your pan. Mix all of this together with a wooden spoon, adding any leftover stock as you go. Dont forget to put in your diced vegetable from the cup that you have put to the side as mentioned in STEP 3 too, along with your diced chicken pieces.

STEP 8....Heat, then tuck in and have a taste!

Prep time is around 15 mins when it comes to making the soup. With this bear in mind that the chicken stock takes 2/3 hours and if you choose to steam your vegetables this takes about 45 mins too.

There is only one thing better than chicken, bacon and vegetable soup.....and thats chicken, bacon and vegetable soup with "Sallys Meaty Buns" ....they will be coming to you next week along with their Meatloaf big brother!