Home sick today with strep throat and tea just wasn’t doing the trick. I need something else warm and ordering in or going to the supermarket was definitely out of the question. I’ve seen enough food shows to know that cooking a soup from scratch only needs a few core ingredients and then you can basically throw in what you need as long as they somewhat pair well.

Since most chicken stocks and beef stocks have bouillon in it (which most contain gluten), I knew that that was not the way to go. I decided to use what I made for lunch the night before and turn it into the perfect soup. I boiled some water, chopped up some potatoes (skin on for additional flavor), and threw in the oven-roasted kale I made. I let that boil at a medium heat because there is noting I like less than raw overly crunchy potato chunks. I also decided to chop up some fresh almonds for added health benefit and flavor and also threw in fresh diced parsley.

Once I saw I taste tested that the potatoes and almonds were softening up, I threw in the fresh spinach and perfectly seared diced pork chops, leaving some fat on a few of the pieces for added flavor when they rendered down with the heat.

When I saw we were down the home stretch, I added some more water to create more of a base and also gluten-free pasta shells that I had also cooked the night before. Tinkyada brown rice shells can withstand some over-cooking so I wasn’t too worried about the shells breaking apart once I had the pot on a low simmer. Added some sea salt and pepper and it looked like the winning combination.

I write this post as I enjoy my second bowl of this delicious concoction. Low sodium, gluten-free and just what the doctor ordered. It’s even begun to snow outside….guess mother nature knew I whipping up the perfect winter-day meal.