What are we going to do with that stock??

Ok, so the best thing to use your stock for is a soup. You can also use your stock in place of water, when cooking rice and grains. Today we are going to make chicken and vegetable soup.

You have now your homemade chicken stock. Now choose some of your favorite vegetables. I use carrots, parsnips, baby turnips, celery and onions. Cut the carrots and parsnips into 1/2 moon shapes, cut the celery on a bias cut and the baby turnips into bite size pieces. The onion you will dice. Your ratio depends on what you like and you can take a away or add any other vegetables you want!!

So we have your vegetables all cut and ready to go, get your soup pot on the stove and add a little olive oil, just enough to lightly coat the bottom. Actually, we are going to pause for a moment and talk about oils...many people use the generic corn or vegetable oils since they are cheaper. These oils are mostly genetically modified foods which means they are not a REAL food and they are usually partially hydrogenated oils(please click the title to this post to read more about essential fats). You are just putting empty unnecessary fats into your body. If you are using oils, use a cheaper pure olive oil to cook with and if you love salads with olive oil get the extra virgin. There are a variety of olive oils, try some different ones and find your favorite! There are also other oils like sunflower, safflower and nut oils...the list goes on and on.....

Back to the soup, you have your pot with olive oil getting hot, add your onions and cook till they just start to turn translucent, now the rest of the vegetables. Season these with salt, black peppers and a sprinkle of red chili flakes. Saute this mixture just for a few moments, then add your chicken stock. Toss in a bay leaf and let come to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Let simmer for 15 minutes and then add your fresh herbs to finish. My personal favorite is dill but some people favor parsley or thyme or oregano...use what ever you like the most! Taste and check the seasoning, add what ever you like.

Now you have a simple chicken and vegetable soup. You can cook of rice or pasta to add, and of course add any left over chicken meat to your soup.

Bon apetit, let me know how it goes!!