Post Thanksgiving Recipe!

Ok so my housemates and I cooked our own gluten-free Thanksgiving feast this year.  Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce...the whole kit and cabootle.  And since we had all the Turkey bones and leftover flavorful parts, I was more than excited to make my own stock!  So here is my conglomeration of what I had left in the pantry, and various recipe influences from other women in my life.

Baja Californian Turkey Soup

This is a really light, fresh soup but hearty as well.  Perfect after a Thanksgiving day of rich, starchy foods.

For the Stock:

bones from an organic turkey
1 sweet onion
2 cups celery (2-3 stalks)
1 large carrot
water

Place bones in the largest stock pot you've got.  (preferably one with a built-in strainer)  Roughly chop all vegetables and toss them in.  Fill the pot with water enough to cover the bones and veggies.  Bring to boil on high heat and then reduce to low and simmer for a good hour, or at least until the veggies are tender and your stock has a good broth color to it. (it should look and smell a lot like chicken stock)  Strain out bones and veggies and try not to lose any bit of that yummy stock!

For the Soup:

turkey stock
1 sweet onion chopped
1 jalapeno pepper minced (optional)
2 large cloves garlic (freshly chopped please)
2 bell peppers chopped (any color or variety, you could even use poblano peppers for a spicier soup)
1 large carrot chopped
2-3 celery stalks chopped
1 can organic black beans (drained and rinsed)
cooked turkey leg meat (or other leftover meat)
1 package taco seasoning (or favorite Mexican spices)
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves (try to remove all the stems)

Keep stock hot while you prepare the other ingredients.  In a large skillet heat up 1 tablespoon of olive or vegetable oil on medium heat (just a minute or so).  Add first three ingredients one by one, allowing them to tenderize and caramelize (i.e. slightly brown).  *Salt to taste.  Then use a glass measuring cup or ladle to pour a bit of the stock into the skillet and stir ingredients, deglazing the bottom of the pan.  Pour contents of skillet into stock pot.  Bring soup to a boil and add remaining ingredients minus the cilantro.  *Salt to taste.  Leave soup to boil/simmer for another hour or so allowing the veggies and turkey to tenderize and absorb flavors.  Add *salt and pepper to taste, and lastly the cilantro when ready to serve.  Feel free to garnish with fresh avocado, sour cream, black olives, green onion, tortilla chips or shredded cheese for a little added pizazz.

*You should always salt as you go, salting each portion of the dish according to your taste.  It makes it much easier to gauge how much salt the dish needs if you do a little at a time and taste as you go.

Enjoy!