Happy New Year! Wow, 2016 already. Excited to see what’s in store this year. I hope you all had a great Christmas. I had a great holiday myself and spent lots of time with the kids, and taking some time to un-plug from social media. Its so nice not having the morning rush for a couple weeks. During the holidays we entertained a lot. It was great, and shared many laughs with friends and family.
As much as I love the holidays, I also love getting back into a routine, especially when it comes to eating healthier. I also feel the toll of the holidays as I do enjoy all the good food, and wine, and treats. I get bloated simply thinking about it! That’s why I’ve got a lot more healthy meals in the works, like this turkey soup.
We didn’t host Christmas Day this year, I did Christmas Eve instead, and I always serve appetizers. But in prep for Christmas I stocked up on 2 large 19 lb turkeys at Thanksgiving when they were a great price, and planned on cooking one a few days after Christmas. We love having a bunch of leftover turkey, and for the price, it was so economical compared to purchasing a whole chicken and even boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
This turned out amazing and I’m so glad I decided on a creamy version. Talk about comfort food at its best! This recipe didn’t make a big batch – it makes 4 good sized servings, so I recommend you double the recipe if you want lots of extra.
Once again, the can of light coconut milk made this recipe super creamy without adding any dairy. If you want this recipe even lower fat, you can omit the butter and use cooking spray instead. I like the flavor that butter adds in this though, and since I don’t have a dairy allergy (just lactose sensitive) I’m ok with some butter here and there.
I really hope you give this a try when you have some leftover turkey or leftover chicken. I think you’ll love it!
- 1 cup peeled carrots, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 2 Tbsp butter (for dairy-free use oil or vegan margarine, or omit and use cooking spray)
- 2 Tbsp gluten-free all purpose flour (or regular flour if not gluten-free)
- 3 cups chicken stock, low sodium
- 3 cups shredded white meat turkey, chopped
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 tsp dried sage
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- Salt & pepper (to taste) *optional
- 1 can (14oz or 400mL) light coconut milk
- In a large pot, melt butter (if using or spray with cooking spray).
- Add chopped carrots and celery to the pot, allowing to cook until it starts to soften (about 4-5 minutes). Add in the garlic and continue to stir for 2 min.
- Add in the flour, sage and thyme. Then slowly add in the chicken stock, stirring with each addition to avoid clumping of the flour. Once chicken stock is added, sauce should be smooth.
- Add in the cooked turkey and peas, allowing to cook for a few minutes until peas start to thaw and cook.
- Lastly, add in the can of coconut milk and allow to simmer (with the lid off) until the veggies are tender. About 10 minutes.
- Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Divide among 4 bowls.