Lemony Garden Vegetable & Chicken Soup

Update 1/27/2018: I love photography, and have learned a lot over the last few years! This recipe is on of the most popular on my blog, but it's images we lacking, so I shot new ones. One of the original photos is at the bottom of this post if you need it as a reference. Hope you enjoy this one! 

My middle name is Summer, and I'm not just saying that. I've always loved that my middle name is Summer because when I use the saying, it rings true in more ways than one. My first name is fine but Summer... That's something I can identify with. It's a bit off beat, and outdoorsy, and warm. It's full of light and fun to write. Plus, I loooove summer, so it just fits.

About now, you may be wondering why this post, titled Lemony Garden Vegetable and Chicken Soup, is all about summer. Soup and summer aren't usually thought of as a "match". But I have a few reasons to share a soup recipe with you on this bright summery day.

Lemon Garden Vegetable & Chicken Soup

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood   

Feel free to flex your creative muscle with this recipe. Every garden is different, so every garden vegetable soup should be different, too. The instructions below are for either a pressure cooker (Instant Pot) or simply using a soup pot on the stove.

Serves: 4   |    Total Time: 20 minutes using Instant Pot

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Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 pound chicken breasts (boneless, skinless), cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 leek, sliced thin OR 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 2 stalks of celery, diced small
• 1 medium zucchini, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 medium summer squash, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• Juice from 1 lemon, plus additional lemon slices for garnish
• 6 cups chicken broth OR bone broth
• 1/4 teaspoon each salt & ground black pepper
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach OR 1 cup frozen chopped kale
• Optional additional veggies: 1 cup fresh sugar snap peas, chopped; 1 cup fresh asapragus, chopped

Directions:

1. Heat the coconut oil in the bottom of your Instant Pot on the sauté setting, and add the leeks/onion and garlic to the pot.
2. When the leeks/onions are soft, add the chicken, carrots, celery, zucchini, summer squash, canned tomatoes, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, and if using, the asapragus and and sugar snap peas. Pour in the broth and lemon juice, and stir.
3. Secure lid on Instant Pot, and turn to Soup setting. Set timer for 4 minutes, with the vent sealed.
4. When timer goes off, release pressure. Add spinach/kale and stir.
5. Serve in bowls and top each bowl with a single lemon slice. Serve hot!

Dutch Oven Chicken & Apricot Tagine

This recipe is inspired by my dad. Hi Dad! 

Earlier this year we went on a climbing trip and my dad actually packed the entire list of ingredients for this recipe, along with his camping gear, and cooked it up on his wobbly camping stove. (You guys thought I was the foodie? Well take a look at how I cook while camping, compare it to this, and you'll see I'm no match).

I wanted to share this recipe today since it's Father's Day this weekend (plus, I've been working on a Tagine recipe for a while and it wasn't until I tasted his version again that I remembered exactly how I like it: full of veggies and spices). 

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Dutch Oven Chicken & Apricot Tagine

Published June 18, 2015 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 4-6   |    Active Time: 60 minutes

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Ingredients:

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 pound bone-in chicken thighs

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch fresh ginger, minced

1 onion, sliced

Salt for seasoning

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained

1 bell pepper, diced

2 large carrots, roughly chopped

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1/3 cup dried apricots or figs, cut in half or quarters (if using figs, remove the stems)

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Pinch of saffron threads

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. While oven heats, melt coconut oil in the bottom of an oven-safe dutch oven over medium-high heat on the stove. When oil glistens, place chicken thighs, skin-side down, in pan. Cook, without moving, for 3-5 minutes. Using tongs or a wooden spatula, flip chicken, and cook for another 3 minutes on the second side. Chicken should be golden and browned on the outside, but not yet cooked through. Set chicken on a plate and set aside.
3. Add garlic, ginger, and onion to pan. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent.
4. Pour broth into pot. Loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pot using a wooden spatula. Add chickpeas, bell pepper, carrots, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, apricots or figs, and spices. Add a generous pinch of salt. Stir.
5. Place chicken thighs, skin side up, in the pot over the vegetables. Place lid on pot, and continue to cook in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer reads 165°F when inserted into the middle of a chicken thigh. Remove lid from pot, and switch oven to low broil for 3-5 minutes, just until the top of the chicken begins to sizzle and turn brown. Remove pot from oven.
6. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice, and garnish with cilantro and parsley. Serve over rice.

Seared & Curried Eggplant (Paleo & Vegan)

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I wasn't going to post this recipe today. I was going to post a recipe for a gorgeous chia pudding with berries and bananas. Very red, white and blue, you know. Thing is, I just couldn't get myself excited about it. It was great, it was fine, but it felt so ho-hum sitting next to this recipe. Now this recipe--this has flavor. This gets me excited. 

Eggplant? Exciting? Yea, you heard me. If you had asked me a few years ago if eggplant was exciting, I would have laughed. The first thing that would have come to mind is that slimy Eggplant Parmesan with soggy breading that we all know and hate (some Eggplant Parmesan is delicious, but the bad versions are quite bad). 

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I don't know when I first tried Baingan Bharta (Eggplany Curry), but it's the dish that redefined eggplant for me. 

I've had this dish in all sort of ways: some people puree the eggplant after cooking it, some people leave it chunkier. Some people serve it with more of a sauce, and some keep it simple.  I have enjoyed them all but none as much as when they're like this: the eggplant is seared, almost crispy on the outside and not at all soggy. The spices are blended with only a bit of tomato, so as not to overwhelm the dish, and it's loaded with heat. 

Recently I was listening to a radio show on NPR about Picky Eaters, and how kid's learn their eating habits. You know when you arrive at your destination and you just want to going around the block a few more times to finish listening to your show? It was one of those. I've always attributed my willingness to eat just about anything to my dad: when I was a kid, he had my try new things every week (this also probably played a role in turning me into such a foodie!). This show, however, explained why kids have different tastes than their parents: their tastebuds are still young and sensitive. I guess my tastebuds finally "matured" enough to like eggplant. ;) 

The moral of the entire interview? Try everything ten times. At least ten times. Try cooking it different ways, and try serving it with different things. One of them, you're sure to like! 

Seared & Curried Eggplant

Published May 7, 2015 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 4-6   |    Active Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

2 teaspoons coconut oil

1/2 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1-inch nob ginger, minced

2 eggplants, diced into bite-sized pieces

2 roma tomatoes, diced

1 jalapeño, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon whole black mustard seed

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon whole fennel seeds

2 teaspoons curry powder

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/8 teaspoon cardamom

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup cilantro, minced

Optional, for serving: spicy chili peppers, if you like your curry really hot

Directions:

1. Heat the coconut oil over medium heat in a skillet. Once hot, add the onion, garlic, ginger, and jalapeño. Sauté.
2. When the onions are translucent, add the tomatoes to the pan, giving everything a stir.
3. Add the diced eggplant to the skillet, stirring into the onion mixture. Sprinkle salt over top, and stir in (this helps draw out the natural juices). Increase the heat a small amount, to medium-high. Stir occasionally, giving the eggplant time to sear on each side.
4. When the eggplant is softened through an browning in some places, add the spices and minced cilantro.
5. The eggplant is done when it’s completely softened through and browned on some of the sides. Remove from heat and serve hot over rice or as a side dish with One-Pan Beef Korma or Slow Cooker Kashmiri Curry Leg of Lamb.