Rainbow Chicken Soup

Yesterday I wrote about some of the things I've recently learned about seniors and nutrition.  The story continues...  : )

I was the one to pick Grandmother up from the hospital so I made some Rainbow Chicken Soup for her first lunch at home.  The rainbow part connects to the current focus on choosing darker colours of vegetables - dark green spinach is more nutrient dense, for example, than iceberg lettuce - and having a variety of vegetable colours.  Choosing a variety of colours is just an easy way of hitting all the different vitamins and minerals we need daily.  

Rainbow Chicken Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil

two chicken breasts, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup diced WHITE onion

1 cup peeled and diced WHITE potatoes

1 cup peeled and diced ORANGE carrots

1/2 cup of diced YELLOW pepper
1 cup of diced GREEN vegetables

(spinach, sugar snap peas, celery, broccoli stems)

Heat oil, then saute chicken.

Add vegetables and continue to saute.

1 litre (4 cups) no salt added chicken broth

1 can (540 ml/19 oz.) RED tomatoes 

(I used Alymer's Accents - Cracked Peppercorn 

and Roasted Garlic)

Add tomatoes and chicken broth.

Simmer gently 60 - 90 minutes.

Rainbow Chicken Soup

NOTE:  Now you'll notice there are no seasonings.  The chicken had been marinating in an oil/lemon juice/herb mixture.  I was fine with the flavour and had a big bowl of this soup "as is" but I don't usually add a lot of salt, etc.  (Grandmother did add salt!)  Often I'll add salsa and Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce.  I was interested to read that the first ingredient in Lea and Perrins is malt vinegar!!  Interesting because I'd just read this article, What's a Good Way to Add a Salty Taste Without Using Salt.

Some rainbow!  What happened to blue/purple, you ask?

Okay!!  I know!!  But wouldn't a little bowl of blueberries topped with yogurt complete my rainbow lunch?

From the Soup Kitchen,

Maggie  : )