Whole Living Daily

I can feel the sickness coming on.  It’s brewing in my sinuses.  Not sure if it’s because I work too much and don’t sleep enough. Or because it’s been raining for days. But either way, it’s October, and it’s cold, and I’m sure you can relate. The antidote?  SOUP!  I dug through your requests from a couple of weeks ago, when I asked you for soup challenges. Sopa de Lima  (Mexican Lime Soup) was requested a couple of times, so that’s what I’m making! Thanks for the request:  I can’t think of anything I’d rather be eating right now.

Sometimes the challenge of eating allergy-friendly and gluten-free is all about making smart choices. You begin to look at certain types of cuisine with a fresh eye, because they just might be naturally free of certain allergens. For example, Mexican food relies heavily on the gluten-free grain corn.  So it’s a pretty safe bet that you can find traditional recipes that are already gluten-free.  This lovely Mexican chicken soup derives from the Yucatan and is naturally allergy-friendly. If you choose your chicken stock wisely, it’s also easy to go gluten-free.

If you are allergic to corn, but are able to eat gluten, you can use regular flour tortillas. If you can’t eat either—well then, try my recipe for gluten-free (corn-free) tortillas here.

The holidays are upon us, folks, so please start leaving requests for Thanksgiving recipe challenges in comments below. Thanks!

Allergy-Friendly Sopa de Lima
Makes 8 Servings

• 1 lb chicken breast
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced fine (1 ½ cups)
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced fine (or use a garlic press)
• ½ teaspoon oregano (Mexican, if you have it)
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 8 black peppercorns
• pinch of allspice
• 8 cups chicken broth (Kitchen Basics is gluten-free and allergy-friendly)
• 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (or 1 ¾ lbs fresh tomatoes, skinned and diced)
• 1 Tablespoon minced fresh jalapeño pepper
• 6 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 lime sliced in half lengthwise, then into thin half-moon slices
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 8 oz. fresh corn tortillas*
• canola oil, safflower oil, or sunflower oil for frying
• 2 avocados, diced
• ½ cup chopped cilantro
• chopped jalapeños for garnish (optional)

1. Steam chicken breast for 10 minutes and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in large, heavy pot. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring often, 3 minutes until slightly softened.
3. Add oregano, cumin, peppercorns, and allspice, and cook 2 minutes more.
4. Add broth and bring to a simmer.
5. Dice chicken into bite-sized pieces (or shred with two forks, if you prefer), and add to pot.
6. Add tomatoes, jalapeño, lime juice, 2 lime slices, and salt.  Stir, bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook about 25 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, slice tortillas into ½-inch strips. Heat oil in a large sauté pan over high heat until it starts to shimmer. Drop half of tortilla strips into pan and cook until deeply golden and slightly puffed.  Remove with a slotted spoon or spatula and drain on paper towels.   Repeat with remaining half of tortillas.
8. To serve, ladle soup into bowls, top with tortilla strips, avocado, a couple slices of lime, and cilantro. Add a little more jalapeño if you like it spicy.  Serve piping hot!

* You may use store-bought tortilla chips if you prefer.

Allergy-Friendly Sopa de Lima
© 2010 by Cybele Pascal

(Please note that all my recipes are completely free of all top allergens (wheat, dairy, soy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, fish, shellfish, and gluten), so as many people as possible can enjoy them. Additionally, all the ingredients are available at Whole Foods, and online at Amazon.com. If you have trouble finding something, let me know and I’ll help you find it.)

SAFETY NOTE: Because each person's food sensitivity and reaction is unique, ranging from mild intolerance to life-threatening and severe food allergies, it is up to the consumer to monitor ingredients and manufacturing conditions. If manufacturing conditions, potential cross contact between foods, and ingredient derivatives pose a risk for you, please re-read all food labels and call the manufacturer to confirm potential allergen concerns beforeconsumption. Ingredients and manufacturing practices can change overnight and without warning.

Cybele Pascal is the award-winning author of "The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook" and the "Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook." She lives in Los Angeles with her food-allergic family: husband Adam, sons Lennon and Monte, and their dogs, Izzie and Carly (who also has food allergies). Please visit her website at CybelePascal.com.