Baked Potato Soup Make-Over

I am always impressed with the re-creations people are able to make from ordinary "foods" and turn them into delicious, healthy, allergy free meals. I was in the disease world a long time. I haven't been in the healing world all that long. However, I am much more interested and involved in this whole healing world. I'm a happier, healthier person and I feel like a million bucks without being in debt a million bucks. ;) ANYWHO...I decided to join the realm of makeover bloggers who tried to put a healthy spin in a traditional comfort food...and lets just say I wouldn't be blogging if it was a failure. :)

BAKED POTATO SOUP

Forget the heavy creams and the hormone full sour cream and cheeses. Say goodbye to the starchy-ness of your potatoes and say hello to a tasty, "real foods" meal. Mike likes the term real foods because that is what we aim to do. We try and eat food that are minimally processed; the body knows how to digest real foods better. Essentially, It makes life so much better! You will need:

7-8 small russets diced and rinsed (rinsing off cut potatoes rinses off excess starch)
2 cans full fat coconut milk

8 strips of turkey bacon-4 strips for soup, 2 strips for garnish (try and get it at a health-food store)
16 Oz organic chicken broth
1/2 yellow onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1/3 c Lucerne sour cream (or any brand if you don't mind how it's processed or how the animals ate)
1 cup raw cheese
1/2 c chopped green onion

First things first...cook your bacon. Keep in mind if you use turkey bacon, it is not going to curl, cook or crumble like regular bacon does. It's turkey, not a pig. You're basically just heating it through. It won't produce its own grease so flip it constantly and cook on low to keep from burning.

This was the brand I bought from sprouts. :) It doesn't have all the additives regular brands add to their turkey

This is what it looks like once cooked. Not super bacon-y, right?

Once you've don't that, set aside and let it cool. Since it doesn't crumble naturally unless its charcoled, you will need to cut it with scissors after...yes, I said scissors. :)
The next step, is multi tasking. Sorry pals. you need to heat your large pot up and melt some good old organic coconut oil in it and throw in your diced onions on low heat. While those are becoming translucent and fragrant, you will be chopping those taters. Once they're chopped, rinse them.. it will make you want to barf seeing how much starch you can wash them off. If you want to test the theory, put an empty bowl in the sink, and put the taters in a colander. Rinse and let the water fall into the bowl. After it has sat for about ten minutes, dump the water and you will find pure, nasty starch on the bottom. (I have proof)

Yes...that is all starch just from a QUICK rinse of my diced potatoes. If you don't know why starch is bad, it turns into sugar as you digest and your body stores sugar as fat. 

Now, moving on from that nasty image I'm sure we all have now engrained in our minds, let's go ahead with the next step. Set your potatoes aside and check on the onions. They should be ready. To the same pot as the sauteed onions, Add your coconut milk, garlic and broth and let it simmer. Once the flavors have intermixed, add the potatoes and cover. Let boil for approximately 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender but not Mashable.

At this point, you're going to take the contents of your pot and toss it in your blender with 4 strips of bacon. Blend just until the texture is granulated and return it back to the pot to simmer until you're ready to eat. 

Once your garnishes have been prepared, top them on your soup, (moderation is for salad) thank the good Lord for your meal and dig in. 

I avoid dairy unless it follows certain guidelines: grass fed cows, free of hormones and wasn't "transformed" into low fat or fat free. (Remember what that means; chemical shit storm)

Raw milk cheese...enough said. :) From completely natural, grass fed, free range cows. 

I hope you enjoy my makeover. :) it still have small amounts of dairy, (which are toppings and only optional) but is much more hearth healthy than other recipes...I am sorry I don't take time to count the calories. I eat real food and exercise and I figure the body God gave me will be just fine from there! 

BON APPETIT!