As the temperatures are dropping and snow is falling across many parts of the country, this soup, which can be prepared in a vegetarian, or meat-based version, helps to keep the winter chills at bay. This soup takes about 1-1/2 hours to cook, and can also be made ahead of time. This is our favorite ‘go to’ soup recipe, if anything ails us. After many hours spent outside shoveling snow, there is nothing like coming inside to the warm, inviting aroma of a steaming hot cup of soup.

Coconut-Chicken-Vegetable Soup

• 32 oz. organic free range chicken stock, or organic vegetable broth
• 14 oz. coconut milk
• 46 oz. purified water
• 12-16 oz. of  chicken meat, cubed (this is optional)
• 3 whole large carrots, thinly sliced
• 4 celery stalks, thinly sliced
• 1 small bunch of cilantro, finely chopped
• 5 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped (if you have a cold,triple the amount 😉 )
• 2 large potatoes, washed and cubed (with skin)
• 1-1/2 tsp. curry powder
• 10 drops of cayenne tincture (or 1/4 tsp. of hot cayenne powder)
• 1 tsp. Himalaya salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground pepper
• Juice of one lime (added when fully cooked)

In a large soup pot, combine all the ingredients except for the lime juice, and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to a low setting and let simmer for at least 40 minutes. Just before serving, add the lime juice to the soup. Best served with a slice of warm Hungarian Farm Bread (recipe is in our book “A Celebration of Gluten Free Baking.”)

Enjoy and keep warm!