The EVOLUTION Magazine January 2024 issue | Page 40

COOKING with CANNABIS

Greek Lemon Soup

A Healthy Winter Warm Up by Chef Dana Cunningham

Happy New Year , everyone ! I have been super busy learning about more nutritious foods here on the farm . We have so many healthy choices around us ; I am just trying to make sure I am using everything to its fullest potential . As you may know , we are raising USDA-certified chickens for meat , so I have been plugging away with all my chicken recipes lately ! It has been a huge savings to have our own farm-raised birds here . I have also been looking into more paleo ways of eating because this lifestyle leaves out processed foods , added sugars , dairy , and grains , which have been shown to cause problems and aid in the growth of cancer cells in lab tests . As we get older , I find that a simpler diet of just whole , organic foods really makes me feel the best .

This soup is a very healthy , Greek-inspired alternative to chicken noodle soup . Traditionally , lemon chicken soup has pearl couscous and feta cheese . This recipe for Greek lemon soup omits the pearl couscous and feta cheese usually found in the traditional recipe , making it a more Paleo approach . I absolutely love the soup this way ; it is light and simple . Every time I make soup , I use homemade bone broth . Bone broth is so easy to make , and it is so good for you .
Bone broth gives my soup healing power , and if I get sick , I want to get the most nutrients I can out of my soup . They say that bone broth is the best for you when you are sick because it is cooked for a long time , making all the compounds very well broken down and easily absorbed by the body . I also can my soup when I make large batches so that if I do get sick , I have some already bottled up in a jar and ready to go ! It is easy to can soup . You must use a pressure canner , and I definitely suggest following the instructions given with the pressure canner . It can be a little dangerous .
Ingredients
64 oz of organic chicken bone broth 6-10 oz of cooked , skinless , boneless chicken meat ( I usually use leftovers .) 1 sweet yellow onion , chopped large 4 cloves of garlic , minced 4 carrots , chopped large 4 celery stalks , chopped large 1 , 1-inch sized piece of fresh ginger , washed and peeled 1 tablespoon of fresh or dried rosemary 1 / 2 tablespoon of thyme The zest of 1 lemon 2 teaspoons Salt 2 teaspoons fresh cracked pepper Fresh green onion chopped to garnish 1 tablespoon of infused butter or oil
The Method
1 . Plug in the crockpot and start on high . 2 . Get a skillet hot on medium heat and add a tablespoon of infused butter or oil .
3 . Once the butter is melted , add chopped onion , carrots , celery , garlic , and ginger . Cook on medium until the onions become translucent .
4 . Turn the crockpot on high and add all ingredients except the green onion .
5 . Continue crockpot on high until liquid begins to simmer , and then switch to low for up to 6 hours . 6 . The longer you let the soup sit at low , the more flavor it will have . 7 . Serve in bowls garnished with green onion .
Happy New Year to all , we wish you a healthy 2024 .
Dana Cunningham is a Kansas City Native trained in French and American cuisine . She owns Infused KC , Kansas City ’ s CBD infusion think tank and focuses her culinary efforts on the farm-to-table concept at her four-acre homestead . She provides cooking classes in Kearney , MO . Follow her on Facebook , @ infusedkcmo or YouTube @ sunsetgrovekearney . Get your CBD at , www . infusedkc . com .
42 January 2024