gluten free chicken soup for the skier's soul

Usually every soup I make ends up having a curry flavor (like this one). It's an easy one to grab off the shelf and I know how it's going to come out. This week I got back to basics and aimed for a Chicken Soup that tasted, well like chicken soup.  Dave's a bit tired of curry soup too- it could be due to the fact that I usually use a large 8qt pot and end up filling it and we end up eating a few days worth of curry soup.
The night before I cut the chicken and marinated with EVOO and some Herbs de Provence. The next day I chopped veggies (around 6 big carrots, 1/2 large onion and 3 stalks of celery) while I cooked the chicken and boiled a half of a cup of dry lentils. I changed the water twice on the lentils as I like to be sure they're nice and clean. Although I didn't have to pre-cook,  I wasn't sure how long I was going to be and I'm still adjusting to the low cook times of sea level. Do lentils ever taste dirty to you or did I just make that up in my head?
I tossed everything in the 4 quart crock pot along with chicken stock and 1/2 cup of quinoa and cooked on low for 8 hours while I went out and hit the mountain for the day. It's been super cold here in the western mountains of Maine and I'm playing around with different combos of down jackets and hard shells. I've also grabbed the warmest fleece pants I own and paired them with Patagonia capaline for the super chilly sub zero days. 
It was a great mix up from the rice and curry soup that usually hits the table at camp chaos and I even tossed a handful of fresh spinach into my bowl to for some added veggie power. The quinoa really didn't need 8 hours so I may toss it in later in the day next time. A warm soup after a chill day at Sugarloaf really hit the spot and defrosted my body.

soup's on... curry soup with lentils

So we joke in Telluride that summer only last a few weeks as we don't own an air conditioner or even a fan as we only have a few nights where the temperature doesn't drop to cool sleeping levels. Last week we began getting the cool nights but it was a warm night as we enjoyed a curry soup for dinner.
We're working on using items in the house and working them into multiple meals during the week. The magic ingredient that inspired the curry soup? Lentils. I had made up a batch on Sunday and  had to sneak them into a Thai Kitchen Curry creation along with chicken, carrots, potatoes and other veggies. The next night they appeared in an Annie's Gluten Free Macaroni and Cheese along with some chicken then they rounded out the week (and finished the cooked batch) in the curry soup. Dave's a bit over them by now but I was impressed at how they were able to mesh well into various meals. I cooked them on Sunday as they take quite a while to cook here at 9,000 feet.

 Curry soup, chicken, carrots, rice, spinach, celery, peas and our favorite,  lentils.

Why the sudden interest in lentils? Good question. They were in our favorite Backpacker's Pantry that we enjoy while camping and were right near the bags of jasmine rice at City Market so I gave them a whirl. Our first attempt was a fail (I chose to blame my 9,000 feet of altitude) so that's why I was so into finding a good use for them last week. Now as I google "Lentils" I'm learning that they are a great source of fiber, can fill you up without a lot of calories and provide slow burning energy.


Curry Soup
Cook chicken and set aside.
Rummage through the fridge and see what you have to throw in... such as cooked lentils.
Chop veggies (you pick!) and set aside. 
Grab a big pot... if you're anything like me you better grab the next size up as this soup tends to grow
 Bring water or stock to a boil and add veggies and chicken. Add curry 1tsp at a time until desired flavor is achieved. Do this slowly and a bit at a time. Other spices may be added depending on tastes. Simmer until veggies begin to get tender then add rice and lentils. Remember, rice grows quickly so try 1/4 cup for a soup with 2 quarts of liquid. Dave tends to forget this and we end up with a thick rice stew. Simmer to let all the flavors come together. The longer the simmer the better the soup.

It's a great soup and hard to mess up. I added fresh spinach to my bowl and it cooked in the time it took me to grab a photo due to the hot water as Dave wasn't into it.