Chicken Lentil Chorizo Stew

Ingredients:

• 1 pound fresh chorizo, skin removed and chopped

• 1/2 pound chicken, chopped

• 6-8 cups chicken broth

• 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

• 3 sticks of celery, chopped

• 1 large red pepper, chopped

• 1 hot banana pepper, chopped (you can go hotter or milder)

• 1 medium zucchini, chopped

• 1 medium yellow summer squash, chopped

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 1 package mushrooms, chopped

• 1 large handful fresh basil, chopped

• 1 small handful cilantro, chopped

• Just enough oil of your choice to prevent veggies from sticking

• 2 tsp dry Italian herbs

• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Cook chicken and chorizo in chicken broth, then remove and allow to cool before chopping

2. In a skillet, add oil and all veggies-I like to start with carrots and celery because they take longer to cook-this prevents overcooking of the other veggies

3. Once veggies are cooked until slightly crunchy, add back to broth

4. Add all other ingredients and cook over medium heat about 10 minutes

5. Taste and tweak flavors and serve

Tips:

• You can add a glug of olive oil to a bowl of this soup to boost oleic acid levels.  This is a common deficiency on micronutrient testing in our office.  Oleic acid is crucial to healthy cell membranes.