Enough Bad Mouthing the Potato

You can bad mouth french fries, mashed potatoes, and loaded twice baked potatoes, but let's stop bad mouthing the potato. The potato is a REAL food and should never be compared to refined grains like white breads and pastas. Did you know the potato is a natural source of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, such as carotenoids and polyphenols? In other words, the potato is a GOOD guy. But for the sake of the potato could we keep the skin on.


Yesterday I finally put the old Thanksgiving Day turkey carcass, which has been in my freezer ever since, to good use. Although it was pretty much picked clean Thanksgiving Day, it still made an excellent turkey soup. Here's my quick, simple recipe:

Turkey Soup

(Note - cooking is not like baking...the recipe doesn't have to be exact. Get creative and add other vegetables or herbs you love. Some of my favorite additions are bok choy and fresh basil. The amounts below would easily feed a family of four.)

1 onion
4 celery stalks
5 carrots
2 potatoes
your favorite fresh herbs
salt and pepper

I wash all my vegetables then put a little olive oil in a big pot. I start chopping the vegetables as they are listed above and add them directly into the pot as I go. When you've got everything in your pot, put your turkey (you could use chicken too) carcass into the pot and cover with water. Bring to a slow boil, then simmer until vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper.

If you're feeding hungry boys, cook up some pasta on the side and add to their bowls of soup. Keep any leftover pasta separate from the soup so it doesn't absorb the broth and become mushy.

I told you it was simple, quick and healthy. The amount of sodium alone your avoiding by eating fresh soup rather than canned is HUGE! Unless, of course, you pour a whole cup of salt into your pot of soup. You can even make two pots and freeze the leftovers for a rainy day!

My FAVORITE variation to this recipe is below. Trust me, it's the best!

Chicken tortilla soup

Prepare the soup just as above but omit the potatoes (sorry potatoes, you don't work as well with this one). Add cilantro as your fresh herb and season your soup with red pepper flakes. Serve the soup over rice, and top with shredded cheese, avocado, cilantro, and tortilla strips (these can be made by slicing a flour tortilla into strips and baking until crisp).