Low-Carb, Keto Chicken, Bacon, and "Rice" Soup.....Ditch the Can!

I am sure that you have noticed that I like to eat soup.  There are two reasons that I find any kind of soup a desirable entree for my family:

1) You can make a huge pot of soup and it will last for days.  Let's face it.  I have three children.  I work full time.  Those three children are involved in A LOT.  That means, if I care about my family's nutrition...and I do...I have to make things that will help me to not have to cook every. night. of. the. week.  Yes, there are days when we are sick of the soup.  And, because I do not make my children eat exactly as I do, I can give them a side of the soup...with a healthy sandwich of some sort on the side to make things a little more bearable when we are all sick of dining with a spoon.  And, I still have something healthy for me to eat in a pinch....or for me to take to work with me.

2) I love to make soup for my family because it is a GREAT way to sneak my kids vegetables that they would not normally eat.  Would they eat a side dish of cauliflower?  Hell no!  Would  they eat riced cauliflower in soup?  ....They do and they don't even know that they are eating it.  I would rather get them to eat their veggies that way ANYDAY than going through the "Eat your veggies" speech again and again and again at the dinner table.---Sure, we all, hopefully, work to get our children to "eat their vegetables."  For me, though, I feel a sense of panic when I think about how little veggies my kids actually used to eat.  No matter how hard a tried....I could not get them to eat them...until I started cooking this way.  

The reason it causes me panic is because I know that I have turned my health life around through nutrition.  Part of the way I fight autoimmunity is not only through eating fat and low-carb...but through focusing on eating as many vegetables in as many colors as I can in a day.  How can I know that this is my way of healing my body....and not pass this hard lesson on to my kids by improving their nutrition?  I want to know that, if they develop autoimmunity issues...or God forbid, MS....I did everything in my power to steer them in the right direction.  I want to know that I modeled the right way to eat.  I want to know that I did everything in my power to show that food can be healthy, safe, AND enjoyable.  So something as simple as soup is a very personal matter for me.  

This recipe is one that helps me to feed my family and to feel good about it.  I hope that it will help you to achieve your veggies goals, too.  Food is personal.  We are choosing to ingest something....to make it part of our being.  Would you rather be a can of soup, filled with sodium, preservatives and God knows what....or would you rather whip up a pot of healthful soup that will have enough fat to keep you feeling energetic, and enough colorful vegetables to keep you healthy?  I ditched the can long ago.  This soup will make you never want to go back.

KetoRunningMama

Low Carb, Keto Chicken, Bacon and "Rice" Soup

Prep time:  30 mins

Cook time:  45 mins

Total time:  1 hour, 15 min.

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

• 4-5 large finely diced carrots
• 4-5 large finely diced celery stalks
• 2 medium onions finely diced
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 6-8 garlic cloves, minced
• 64 ounces chicken stock
• 4 cups water
• 2 cups unsweetened almond milk, divided
• pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or finely diced
• 1 cup almond flour 
• 1 pound bacon
• For the "Rice":
• 1 head of cauliflower
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• scallions, for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  
2. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Spread out the bacon over the foil and bake for 20-30 minutes, until crisp.  (Save the bacon grease!)
3. Place the carrots, celery, onion, and olive oil in a large soup pot.
4. Cook the vegetables over medium heat until softened and the onions are translucent
5. Add the garlic cloves, chicken stock, water, and 1 cup of milk to the mixture and stir until combined.
6. Add the pepper, dried oregano, and shredded chicken. Mix until combined.
7. Allow the soup to simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes.
8. While the soup is simmering, cook your chicken in a pan with a little olive oil.  When cooked through, shred with a fork and add to your soup.
9. While the soup is heating, make your cauliflower rice.  Break the cauliflower up into small enough pieces to add to your food processor.  Process until they are a "rice-like" consistency.  If you do not have a food processor, grate the cauliflower with a box grater.
10. Add  1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil to a Pan.  Heat it on low.  Add the cauliflower to the pan.  Move the cauliflower around in the pan until it starts to brown and the moisture has been released from the cauliflower. 
11. When the cauliflower is slightly browned and a rice-like consistency, add it to your pot of soup.
12. Whisk together the remaining 1 cup of almond milk with the 1 cup almond flour until no lumps remain.
13. Pour this into the soup mixture and whisk until combined and no lumps remain.  Allow the soup to thicken, simmering on low.
14. Add the bacon grease to your soup.  Mix well.
15. Add salt and pepper to taste.
16. Serve hot. Enjoy!