hearty chicken, vegetable & quinoa soup

I love this hearty soup! Perfect on a cold day, and freezes easily, so if you have freezer space make a big batch and save some for another day. If you’re prepared ahead of time you can also put it in a slow cooker so it’s ready when you are. It’s also amazing as a vegan soup by omitting the chicken and swapping the stock to vegetable stock.

Homemade chicken stock or bone broth is a great way to reduce waste, and it’s also great for the body! It contains collagen which is great for out skin and gut. After having a baby and as we get older the body doesn’t hold onto it as easily so regularly consuming is a great course of action. The gelatine within it is helpful for gut health. Working on gut health is great for our immune system, as a good part of our immune system is in our gut.

Having loads of vegetables is always a good part of a healthy diet, as they contain lots of fibre, as well as vitamins and minerals. And this is an awesome way to use up some older veggies in the fridge, whatever veggies you have around.

Quinoa, lentils and chia seeds are all great sources of fibre, and vegetable sources of protein. They also make this soup feel much more hearty and filling than it would be otherwise.

Ingredients
8-10 C of chicken (or vegetable) stock/broth
2 C cooked chicken meat, shredded or cubed (optional)
6 C vegetables (eg carrot, celery, mushrooms, capsicum, spinach, silverbeet, broccoli or whatever you like, chopped into about 1-2cm cubes)
1 can chopped tomatoes
2 tsp salt, adjust to taste
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, adjust to taste
handful of fresh parsley, chopped
1 C quinoa
1 C red lentils
¼  C chia seeds

Method
Put all ingredients in a pot or slow cooker. Simmer until the vegetables are cooked. Blend if desired, enjoy! I love it with some crusty or sourdough bread. Yum!