Happy Beautiful Thursday!

Helllloooooooooo Crazy people! :D  I am super pumped to be able to have my schedule smoothing out enough that I should be able to find time to get back at the Asylum and do and eat some crazy stuff!! LOL.  I hope this finds everyone well.  So my life is totally different than it was and I find myself with different needs.  One of these is keeping mom eating.  Small food, soft food and tasty food all get her attention.  This Soup is amazing for all of those reasons.  The lemon factor to it......very different.  But in the end I think it's great.  Mom thinks it's great.  She had two great helpings :D.  So here it is.  I found it while looking around on the computer last night.  The original owners name is posted below.  I thank her for this interesting new soup!

Simple Lemony Chicken & Spring Veggie Soup with Quinoa & Fresh Basil
by Ingrid Beer



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Yield: Serves about 4

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 leek, quartered, white part sliced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced small (if you can find multi-colored carrots, those are beautiful)
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 1 teaspoon herbs de Provence
• 4 cups chicken stock, hot
• 1 cup fresh English peas (or frozen peas)
• 1 cup baby zucchini, small dice
• 2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded or cubed (you can use rotisserie chicken for convenience)
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• ¼ cup chopped, fresh basil leaves
• 4 lemon wedges, garnish

Preparation:

-Place a medium-large soup pot over medium heat; add in the butter and olive oil, and once melted, add in the sliced leek and diced carrots, and sweat for about 3-5 minutes, or until slightly tender and the leeks are becoming translucent.

-Add in the garlic, and once that becomes aromatic, add in a pinch or two of salt and pepper, and the herbs de Provence; stir to combine.

-Next, add in the hot chicken stock, and bring to a gentle simmer; cover partially with a lid, and cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until carrots are tender.

-Turn the heat off; add in the English peas (or frozen peas), the diced baby zucchini, the shredded or cubed chicken breast, and the lemon zest and juice; stir to combine, and allow the peas/zucchini to become crisp-tender and bright green in the hot stock, about 3-4 minutes; check to see if additional salt or pepper is needed.

-To serve, add about ½ cup of the cooked quinoa to a bowl, and ladle some of the soup with the veggies and chicken over top; sprinkle over some of the fresh basil, and squeeze in some additional lemon juice from the lemon wedge garnish, if desired.


**  The pictures below are ones I took of what I made! :D!  Enjoy

And as you can see we had leftovers, so stoked lol!  And for my chicken I cooked two breasts in a frying pan while the quinoa was cooking.  You can use any chicken just like the recipe says I am sure :).  Good luck with it and I would really love to hear what you think after you make it.