Fall is in the air here in the Maryland area and with the temperature dropping and grills covering up its time to start switching things up a bit and focus on some foods to keep you warm, full and healthy.

Whats with the [Paleo] you ask? I myself have embraced the Paleo way of life now and wholeheartedly advise my readers and fellow cooks to do the same. Health, happiness, and physical well being are some of the most important foundations to Game. Paleo can bring you them all. I’m here to show you that you can do it and still eat well.

Anytime you see [Paleo] on a recipe that means its been purposefully designed to avoid things like cultivated grains, starches, sugars, and chemical additives.

Things You Should Have

-A large pot, 12 quarts will do

-Stove, hot plate, or a camping stove, some kind of heat source

Mexican Chicken and Lime Soup [Paleo]

This is a recipe to satiate not only a need for warmth in a changing season, but a need for something to break up the coming monotony as the summer comes to an end and the dull bleakness of winter approaches. Its not vacation, but its as close to it as you’ll get in a bowl.

–The List–

-Chicken, white or dark meat will do, you want it to be boneless and skinless, you’ll want about a pound an a half

Onion, any color will do, you’ll want a pound and a half

Bell Pepper, any color will do, red and yellow would be preferred for the subtle sweetness they bring (Protip: the more “feet” a pepper has, the sweeter it will be) Get about 4 good sized peppers

Poblano Peppers, you’ll want 2 large peppers

Chili Peppers, what kind and how much is up to you, adjust accordingly to how much spice you like. If you don’t like spice just add another poblano, I’m a spice fiend so for me a single habanero

Chicken Stock, organic is best (in keeping with the Paleo theme) Get four quarts, make sure it has no added sodium

Garlic, as always I prefer the chopped in the jar, you’ll want about 6 cloves (4 teaspoons) worth

Tomato, 5 large Roma tomatoes

Spices and Seasonings, start with these amounts, adjust for your own taste
-Ground Cumin – 6 tablespoons
-Chili Powder – 10 tablespoons
-Dried Oregano – 4 tablespoons
-Onion Powder – 2 tablespoons

Chipotle Peppers, I prefer the dried kind, but the canned in adobo work as well, you’ll want 1-3 peppers depending on your spice preference

Limes, three large fresh limes

Corn Tortillas, one package, organic tortillas (this is not pure paleo though its a small amount relative to the dish) You’ll want one small package

Fresh Cilantro, two bunches

–Do Work Son!–

1) Dice up the onions, bell peppers, poblanos, tomatoes, and chicken

2) Mince or small dice the chilis, chipotles and garlic (if you don’t like as much spice remove the seeds and the white membranes from inside the chilis and chipotles)

3) Get your pot good and hot then add in the onions and peppers, sautee this for five minutes or until the veg starts to soften

4) Add in the poblanos, the chilis, and the garlic, saute for five more minutes

5) Zest the limes with either a zester, microplane, box grater, or simply use a regular vegetable peeler then mince up the strips of zest

6) Add in the chicken, cook for 5 more minutes or until the chicken turns white on all sides

7) Add in the lime zest, cook for 1 minutes

8) Add in your dried spices, cook for another minute

9) Add in the tomatoes, cook for 3 minutes, or until the tomatoes start to give up a lot of juice and soften

10) Dump in the chicken stock and bring to a boil

11) Turn the heat down, let it simmer for 30 minutes

12) While the soup simmers put 5 of the corn tortillas in the oven and cook them till their nice and crispy (this can be done in a skillet on a burner as well) (If you want, you can use organic corn tortilla chips for this as well)

13) Once the soup is simmered, take your crispy tortillas and crunch them up into the pot, stir well and let it cook for 5 minutes, you should notice the soup thicken just slightly

14) Rough chop the cilantro and juice the limes

15) Add the lime juice, stir, cut the heat off and let it sit for ten minutes

16) Add in the cilantro, stir, check the seasoning and add salt and pepper accordingly

While the addition of corn tortillas steers this recipe away from pure paleo, the minuscule amount is feasible for ancient man to have found and by making it a small part of the overall dish I believe it stays with the concept of the lifestyle.

This soup will have a hearty spice with a freshness brought by the lime and cilantro, good anytime.