Chicken, Cilantro, Corn, Peas, Celery, Spring Onion…Soup

Honestly, I don’t like to cook.  I am the type of person who has always relied on friends and family to make those delicious recipes they already know or even try the ones I find.  I appreciate good cooking and the people who enjoy doing it.  But I have to say, having piles of delicious organic vegetables delivered to my house has made me a more willing cook, and even a better one.

This past week, I made an amazing soup, and for the first time, used cilantro.  Now, I’ve eaten cilantro in dozens of foods, including my favorite, which is authentic Mexican.  This is the first time I’ve cooked with cilantro, though.  The results were extraordinary, turning my soup from “okay” to “WOW!”  I made a huge pot of the stuff, and it’s just about gone.  I did manage to take one measly photo, but it doesn’t do even half justice to the bliss I call my soup.

Now, I really want to share this recipe with you, but I’m a little embarrassed because I can’t tell you exactly how to make it, nor do I even have a name for it.  So as I am sitting here, I am thinking, “What should I title this post?”  There should be something in there about cilantro, if for no other reason than I’m in love with this pretty herb (if you have read this blog from the beginning, you will know I fall in love with certain foods).  What, then?  Chicken cilantro soup?  Corn chowder with cilantro?  Mexican chicken soup?  Chile, cilantro, chicken, corn, peas, spring onion and…  No.  Way too long.  I think I will leave it up to you to name this soup, and I will just do my best to title the post. In the meantime, enjoy reading the ingredients and feel free to experiment.  After all, that’s how I created this organic concoction in the first place.

Ingredients

water

non-dairy creamer, dissolved in hot water

spring onion

cilantro

cooked peas

cooked corn

celery

one cooked, deboned, shredded chicken (no skin)

two packs chile powder

hot sauce

paprika

dry, crushed red pepper

salt

Process

Throw everything in a pot and bring to a boil.  Serve hot or cold.

Enjoy!

Katherine Gotthardt, writer for Wintergreen Organics & Naturals