Whole30 Green Goddess Soup

I remember hearing about soup for breakfast about 4 years ago, and I thought it was nuts. At the time my breakfast consisted of one heaping bowl of honey bunches of oats, with a bowl of cheerios at night before bed (I was a major cereal lover). But as I saw more and more people eating soups and savory dishes (including and not including eggs) for breakfast, I was intrigued and actually, it started looking really yummy. I started with a broth based soup of homemade bone broth, carrots, garlic, salt and pepper, some celery...I think just whatever I could find. It was delicious! I was so pleasantly surprised. Over the years, I've gotten quite used to fueling my body with quality fats, protein and carbs like sweet potatoes and sautéed zucchini. A lot of times this includes eggs with a vegetable, protein and fat source (like sausage and avocado or spinach and mayo/lemon) and other times it's soup! 

I find soup especially comforting when my stomach is upset and I don't "feel" like a big breakfast. Healing my gut from candida has proven to bring many mornings where my stomach feels a little off and weak, so soup is a great option for those of you healing from any kind of gut issues - whether as small as a stomach bug to as big as an autoimmune condition. 

This soup is chock-full of nutritious and delicious green vegetables. Simple seasonings and the addition of a whole avocado make this soup incredibly flavorful, creamy and very filling. Now some nerdy information for you on the ingredients of this soup :-) It's actually said that leafy greens such as swiss chard can protect your brain from oxidative stress caused by free radicals in the environment. Lots of green vegetables in your diet is also great for decreasing inflammation, which is the culprit of many diseases. This is so important for me as I seek to heal my body and the deepest level - seeking to heal at the cellular level, fixing the root problem rather than just the symptoms. 

This soup is perfect for breakfast, with a bit more broth added to thin it out when you reheat. It can also be served immediately as dinner! Beef it up with some shredded chicken and/or bacon or leave it plain! ;-) 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 3 leeks
• 1 zucchini
• 1 head of broccoli
• 1 small onion
• 3-4 leaves of rainbow chard, including stems
• 1 ounce package of basil (8-10 leaves) 
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2-3 cloves)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups chicken broth (preferably homemade)
• 1 cup full fat coconut milk
• 1 avocado

Instructions

1. Heat a large pot with coconut oil over medium high heat.
2. Rough chop the vegetables and herbs and sauté until browning and getting soft. Add garlic, salt and pepper. 
3. Pour in broth and coconut milk, cover the pot and let simmer for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are fork tender. 
4. Pour everything into a blender and add the avocado.
5. Blend until smooth. Serve immediately with crumbled bacon and/or shredded chicken on top. This soup is also great on it's own!