“Winter” has been full swing in South Florida the past few weeks…. which is actually pretty nice weather. Being from up north, it is “light jacket” weather to me, but I have seen quite a few people in winter coats and boots and a lot of people sick with colds. I did catch a bit of a cold the other week (wash your hands as often as possible and try not to touch your face!) so I made a nice warm soup with curry spices that really helped open up my sinuses and soothe my throat. Adding herbs and spices to soups and other foods is not only important for flavor but many spices also provide an array of health benefits. Turmeric, an essential ingredient in curries and curry powder contains a powerful substance called curcumin, which may decrease inflammation and provide many different health benefits. Some of these health benefits that have been studied include cancer prevention, memory improvement and treatment of arthritis.

If you are interested in more information on health benefits of different spices and how to use them here is a great link I found:

Think Spice: 8 Spices with Health Benefits

And now that you learned something today…on to making a delicious and nutritious soup! 🙂

 

Curry Chicken Tomato Soup

Ingredients
1.5 pounds chicken thighs – bone in
4 cups unsalted chicken broth
4 cups water
1 can no salt added diced tomatoes (14.5 ounces)
1.5 cups chopped celery
14 ounces petite purple potatoes (about 8-9 potatoes), cut into bite sized pieces
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon coriander

Directions
Remove skin from chicken thighs and trim off as much excess fat as possible. Place chicken in a 5 quart Dutch oven with chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer and allow chicken to cook for ~30 minutes. Remove chicken from broth with a slotted spoon and place on a plate or cutting board and allow to cool a bit. Turn heat back up to high and add potatoes, celery, tomatoes (along with any juices from the can) and spices to the broth. While the veggies are cooking, pull apart chicken with a fork and knife into bite sized pieces and discard bones. Once veggies are tender add chicken back to broth and turn down to simmer for a few minutes to warm chicken and meld flavors. Serve immediately.