Monday, July 30, 2012

Coconut Cauliflower Chicken Soup


There are times when people have questioned me on WHY do I need to eat clean and be on a "diet". I find that really frustrating because when does wanting to live healthier = not wanting to enjoy life and food.

The word "diet" just means food that nourish self. Over the years, it seems to have become a weight lost mantra. Some comments I received was that I shouldn't be thinking of losing weight or that I am being too restrictive in my food choices.

On the other side though, I received heaps of positive comments about what I am doing. It's very encouraging to receive comments or notes that I am on the right track.

I am in a healthy weight range. I'm not over weight or underweight. I have a desire to have a lower body fat percentage- but that's got to do with increasing my lean muscle density and being stronger. In fact, my weight at some point or another have increased while I gained more muscle fibres then gone back to my usual weight again. However, I looked leaner, as of course muscle takes up less space than fat.

The important point to note is that I am not on a restrictive calorie meal plan. I.e- i eat whenever i feel hungry, I eat normally except I limit my treats to once a week, and avoid processed food as much as possible (including grains as they have gone through processing).

It is very liberating. For the first time, I'm not overly worried about my weight, but feel more confident in my clothes and how I carry myself. I'm not into being in the gym for hours, but focus on activities that I enjoy doing such as boxing, zumba and konga. I enjoy my coffees and fruits on most days and love my dark chocolate.

Being back to basics means we have less package food into our panty too. When we moved into our new home, I have more containers than food in my pantry. Now that was funny. Then I went on and bought unsweeten almond milk, curry paste without sugar and coconut milk in bulk. oops. :p



So I went on, and made this soup in bulk too (to make use of my freezer space of course). Totally loved it. It's so tasty and easy- in fact, it tastes a little like pea and ham soup. Now, ham is an interesting one. It is meat after all, but is it considered as processed? I think if I am totally strict and restrictive, I would have avoided it, but given that I am more of "moderation" and "do my best to avoid" and "90% good and 10% maybe in the grey area or not so good", I think it is fine. I do try to find those that does not use nitrate or too much sugar or uses ham off the bone so it has the least preservatives as much as possible.


This cauliflower soup is creamy and filling. I went for convenience and bought a roast chicken for added protein. It's my favourite quick protein fix by the way- roast chicken from the supermarkets!

Coconut Cauliflower Chicken Soup (serves 8-10)
3 piece of gammon ham diced
2 heads of cauliflower chopped
4 leeks chopped
1 bunch of celery chopped
1red onion chopped
2 tablespoon of mince garlic
1 roast chicken meat shredded
200 ml coconut cream
2 litre of chicken stock

Crack pepper and chill olive oil to serve if desired.

Start of sauté the ham till brown. Remove from pot. Brown onions and garlic, then cook all veges till slightly soft. Adding stock and bring it to a simmer for around 15 minutes or so. Cool for a few minutes, then blend the vegetables. Return soup to pot and simmer. Add chicken and ham back till it is cooked through-around 5 minutes. Then add coconut cream. Taste and season accordingly.

Ladle and serve with cracked pepper and chill olive oil if you like. :)





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8 comments:

Little Corner of Mine said...

It does look filling with the cauliflower. The healthier version of mashed potatoes here is mashed cauliflower. Me too, like to buy the supermarket roast chicken, but not for the protein but when I am lazy. Hehehe...

Joanne said...

My parents just can't understand why I have to eat so healthy all the time when I'm a healthy weight. They just don't understand that it's a lifestyle! Love this soup. Sounds so delicious.

Kitchen Belleicious said...

the less packaged food the better and I think you are doing great and do not second guess yourself or listen to those negative comments. I hate when people have something bad to say. they should just keep it to themselves. Why do they feel the need to make others feel bad. I love this soup- the coconut in it makes my mouth water

foodporn said...

hi Daphne :D
Thanks for the coconut cauliflower chicken soup recipe.
I'll create one for sure, my kids are gonna like it :)
submit your coconut cauliflower chicken soup photos on a Food Photography site so the readers can enjoy your creations.
It's a food photography site full of all DIY food pictures from members around the world. submit by yourself and let me know when you did, so I can share it.

Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak Lover said...

Hopefully one day I can like you practice in good lifestyle. Living in Malaysia sometime is quitehoard to control my diet because there are too many yummy foods , hehehe ..This soup is so light and healthy .

Zoe said...

Interesting to know what are your rules of your diet. Diet vs deliciousness...is always a great dilemma for me. This soup looks very nice and creamy with the addition of cauliflower and coconut cream... diet? just enjoy this yummy soup :D

lena said...

my weight is okay..infact my fat percentage is at its desirable range but that doesnt mean i'm going to stuff myself with all sorts of fats ..i'm still watching my diet. I think what you're doing is good, just do anything that makes you feel comfortable..whether you re eating more or less fat! you hv my support! i will enjoy this creamy chicken soup too!

tigerfish said...

Yes, to stay firm in what you believe in. I like your cooking style and the food that you put together.

Since I am in the midst of moving too and I find myself with more pantry space in my new place, I have started to buy more pantry staples to "store" as well. :p

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