I recently made dinner for a friend who is following the Auto-Immune Paleo diet. The AIP diet basically removes anything inflammatory so that your immune system has a chance to heal.  It’s very restrictive (depending on what you’re currently eating, of course), but great for people with auto-immune diseases or for anyone suffering from unexplained health issues and not seeing results from anything else. Since it avoids foods that are most often problematic, it can also help people understand what kind of food allergies they may have without taking the expensive tests.   Another thing about the AIP diet is that everything must be organic to avoid reactions to pesticides, additives, hormones, etc in non-organic foods – see why organic is always the better choice here.

One of my favorite anti-inflammatory, healing foods is bone broth.  It is super easy to make and I always have some on hand to drink or make soups with. So, when I was challenged to make a meal that was AIP-friendly, I knew I wanted to start there. Today, I’m sharing the delicious Cilantro Lime Chicken Soup I concocted by taking the tomatoes and peppers (nightshade veggies are a surprisingly common allergen) out of my Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe.  Even if you’re not following an AIP diet, I promise you’ll love this one!

Ingredients:

• 1 organic zucchini
• 1/2 bunch organic celery
• 3 organic carrots
• 1/2 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 organic chicken cooked and shredded (crock-pot chicken recipe)
• 8 cups homemade bone broth (or organic chicken broth)
• 1 tablespoon pink Himalayan salt
• 1 tablespoon organic olive oil (my favorite brand is Kasandrinos)
• 1/4 cup diced cilantro
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Preparation:

Prep time: about 5 minutes, Cooking time: 35 minutes

1. Put all the veggies (first 5 ingredients above) into a food processor and blend until puréed.
2. Add olive oil and puréed veggies to soup pot and sauté over medium heat for 3 minutes.
3. Add broth and salt to the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Add chicken, lime juice and cilantro to the pot and simmer for another 10 minutes.
5. Serve with fresh avocado slices on top for added texture.

Hope you enjoy!