Recipe: QT's "Cures-What-Ails-Ya" Lemon-Garlic Chicken Soup

Okay, so I'm kinda fighting-off some sorta mild plague right now.  I'm not "down for the count" or anything like that, but I've got the whole sluggish, achy, "my face feels tired," can't-decide-if-I'm-hot-or-cold thing kickin'...

BLAH!

I headed out to the grocery store, last week, and loaded up on "Comfort Foods" (krep my momma used to feed me when I was sick): Chicken and Stars Soup, Tomato Soup, White Bread and American Cheese ('cause ya GOTTA have grilled-cheese-sammiches with Cream of Tomato Soup!), Goldfish Crackers, Chicken-in-a-Biskit Crackers and Spray Cheese! (Do NOT read the ingredients list on this sh*t - unless you really want to make yourself sick!)

In short:  All of the overly-processed, mega-sodium krep that my body *really* hates!  I "binged" for a couple of days - but now my body is saying "WTF?!" (and skin is starting to flare-up - Oooops!) so I gotta dial-it-back to more "NATURAL" stuff.

Okay, so here is a DELICIOUS soup that I threw-together this afternoon.  It's "mostly" home-made (with some cheater-additions - to keep it simple).

QT's "Cures-What-Ails-Ya" Lemon-Garlic Chicken Soup

Ingredients and Instructions are all crammed-together for this one:

- 4 stalks celery, chopped (include some leafy-tops)

- 1 cup onion, chopped

- 4 carrots, chopped

- 5 cloves fresh garlic, minced

- 2-3 TBS Olive Oil

Grease your dutch oven with olive oil (I had Lemon-infused and Lime-infused, I used 'em both - appx 2 TBS worth) (Or you could use Garlic-infused) (Or use whatever-the-hell-you've-got!).  Saute on medium-low, 'til the onions and celery are limp and translucent.  Next up:

- Baby Spinach - couple fistfuls

- Fresh white mushrooms, sliced

- Poultry seasoning

Rinse about a cup (or two) of baby spinach

Slice a few fresh, white mushrooms (maybe a cup's worth - after they're sliced).

Add spinach and 'shrooms to the other sauteed veggies, stir until soft.  Dash in a few shakes of Poultry seasoning (I used Grill-Mates Montreal Chicken Seasoning).

Next...

- 32 oz low-sodium chicken broth

- 1 regular can of cream of mushroom soup

- 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary

Add a carton of chicken-broth, a can of cream of mushroom soup (+ a can of water).  Toss in the rosemary sprigs.

Next...

- 1 Grocery-store Rotisserie chicken (mine was "Lemon-Pepper" seasoned - but that's a moot point since I strip the skin off of it), discombobulated/chopped

- 2 fresh lemons, juiced.

- Couple-three dashes of Tabasco sauce (optional - if you're into the whole "Hot 'n Sour" vibe)

Dump the chicken chunks in, add the fresh-squeezed lemon juice and tabasco (I tried it without the pepper-sauce and it was good.  I liked it a squee better with the added spice).

Bring to a light boil, then reduce heat to low.  Simmer for 30-45 mins...

Remove the rosemary sprigs (the leaves may have fallen off and become part of the soup - it's fine, either way, but you don't want the woody stems in there).

Enjoy!  It's quite "aromatic" - which is perfect when you've got a cold.

Guaranteed to cure what ails ya!*

*I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV (Nor did I stay at a Holiday Inn Express), so it might not cure EVERYTHING :-P  But it does taste damn good!