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Jenna O'Brien's avatar

Want to let the soup chat know...I did it! I free-styled a soup! Chicken stock, sautéed onion and garlic, red skin potato chunks, a sprig of rosemary, rosemary salt, some pureed pumpkin and creamy coconut milk. With a dash of ginger! It was FALLLLL in the kitchen!!! Thank you for the encouragement!

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Ada Oberman's avatar

Searching for answer with body stuff can be so difficult. I'm so happy you're finding something that is (mostly) working for you! As someone with IBD, it might not hurt to look for IBS/IBD (if you did and I missed it, apologies, it's a Monday 😅). Cooking can be so relaxing and it's awesome to see it be a way to nourish both your body & mind. My husband cooks most of the meals, but I may be able to steal some recipes off him for you!

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Jenna O'Brien's avatar

Yes! Send recipes my way!

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Abigail Curtis-Simpson's avatar

#5!!!! Dreaming big again is such a quietly bold act of faith after pain and disappointment. Thank you for sharing that with us-- we’re cheering you on!

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Jenna O'Brien's avatar

Oh...you are so kind and I am so appreciative of you. Thank you for noticing and encouraging. Thank you!!

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Hannah's avatar

This is lovely! I agree that Substack feels fresh and fun and new. I deleted Insta (the last standing of all my social media...) and detoxed for the whole summer then came here instead. Game changer! So I’ve been following along on your creative journey for years now...just on a different platform now! Woohoo!

I don’t have any good soup recipes, but I do LOVE to make soup. I would encourage you to experiment with no-recipe soup-making. Soup is very forgiving! It’s endlessly amendable.

Try a creamy veggie soup (the creaminess could come from a can of coconut milk/cream). Sautée onions, garlic, celery, literally any aromatic veggies you want. While they cook, chop some other things. Whatever are your favorites. This is very calming to do. :) Mushrooms, squash/zucchini, potatoes, tomatoes, literally anything. Add to a big stock pot the sautéed stuff, the newly chopped stuff, some broth/stock, some spices (basics for soup can always include oregano, s/p, anything fresh/green, and then just be creative with the rest)! Add that coconut cream, and any smaller things that will cook fast (peas, corn, can of beans, etc.) and let it simmer for as long as you can! I never make soup the same way twice but it’s always delish.

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Jenna O'Brien's avatar

Hannah! I am so glad you are here! THANK you for following along. Also, cheers on the social media detox. That's huge.

You are making me feel soup-confident, and I am thankful. Freestyle-souping may be for me! I'm going to try some of your suggestions. What are your go-to soup spices? I want to stock up!

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Hannah's avatar

I think it’s all about combinations!

Ginger, lemon, chili flakes, garlic are a great combo for a brothy soup.

Chili flakes, oregano, parsley, basil, onion powder for a traditional, tomatoey veggie soup taste.

Cumin, nutmeg, cinnamon, cayenne, smoked Spanish paprika for something with a lot of beans and chili-esque.

Just smell them all as you add them! Ha! You’ll do great!

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Jenna O'Brien's avatar

Ginger, lemon, chili flakes, garlic sounds SUPREME! Thank you for your soup-expertise! I'm thrilled to try it out.

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Hannah's avatar

Hope it’s everything you ever dreamed! Haha!

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Oct 4, 2023
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Jenna O'Brien's avatar

Um YUM!! I’m going to try that! Sounds so good!!

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