#MondayMeals: A Soup-er Exciting Mediterranean Meal
Are you looking for a new and flavorful winter dish to liven up your weekly routine? Try this tart, zingy, and nutritious recipe for Greek Egg and Lemon Chicken Soup. It’s low in calories, high in protein and nutrients, and is easy to make!
Almost every culture has a version of chicken soup. This Greek version of our favorite healthy winter comfort food has been used as a traditional home remedy for the common cold and flu because of its healthy and nutritious ingredients. Greek Egg and Lemon Chicken Soup, or "Avgolemono" soup, is bursting with simple, healthy, and delicious ingredients that are good for your body and mind. Read on for details about the ingredients and the recipe for this great dish.
Chicken is packed full of great nutrients including calcium, folate, protein, potassium, and vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K. Adding chicken to a meal can boost the immune system, prevent anemia, and help to maintain heart health. Chicken is also very good for eye health, helps to lower blood pressure, and decreases the risk of stroke and heart attack.
Lemons are rich in vitamins, minerals, and nutritious plant compounds. They support heart health, digestive health, and prevent kidney stones. Lemons may also protect against anemia and reduce the risk of cancer.
Eggs are full of vitamins and nutrients that work to raise good cholesterol and lower the risk of heart disease and stroke. Eggs are also great for eye health!
Rice has a very high nutritional value and is rich in vitamins and minerals that control the occurrence of heart disease, stroke, and can decrease the risk of some cancers. Rice also helps to control blood pressure and is gluten free.
Before you start cooking, remember that lots of these ingredients are available locally! Eating local foods is beneficial to our bodies, minds, and environment. It’s also great for our local economy!
There are endless benefits to eating tasty local foods. For example, did you know that foods produced locally are more nutritious? This is because food contains the most nutrients around the time it is harvested. The longer food spends traveling, the less nutrition it contains. Less time traveling also means less exposure to harmful chemicals and less production of greenhouse gasses. What a tasteful way to decrease our carbon footprint!
Find ingredients for Greek egg and lemon soup and more at Anderson’s Farm Market, The Local Food Market, or through a CSA share at Main Street Farms. Feel free to include other local ingredients like carrots, celery, onions, garlic, and olive oil! Check out the simple and easy recipe for Greek Egg and Lemon Chicken Soup below.
Avgolemono soup recipe
INGREDIENTS
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 to 1 cup finely chopped carrots
1/2 to 1 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 to 1 cup finely chopped green onions
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 cup rice
Salt and pepper
2 cooked boneless chicken breast pieces, shredded ( about 6 to 8 oz store-bought rotisserie chicken will work)
1/2 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
2 large eggs
Fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat 1 tbsp olive oil on medium-high. Add the carrots, celery and green onions, toss together to saute briefly then stir in the garlic.
Add the chicken broth and bay leaves then raise the heat to high. Once the liquid has come to a rolling boil, add the rice, salt and pepper. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender. Now stir in the cooked chicken.
To prepare the egg-lemon sauce, in a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and eggs. While whisking add 2 ladles-full of the broth from the cooking pot (this helps temper the eggs). Once fully combined, add the sauce to the chicken soup and stir. Remove from the heat immediately.
Garnish with fresh parsley, if you like. Serve hot with your favorite bread. Enjoy
