Soup's On!

I have been thinking alot lately about comfort food. What does that mean ? For much of my life, food has not given me comfort. I have had ( and still have moments of) a very UNcomfortable relationship with food. It has seemed more like my enemy.Comfort is an emotion and food at its worst, has been a vehicle for numbing anything I might have been feeling. I found some interesting research here.  It has taken me many years of therapy, many wonderful meals with loving friends, and my work as a personal chef to get to the point where I can actually enjoy eating, that I can love something I am eating, that I can feel some comfort from it. Soup is one of those things. Since I am basically non dairy, I enjoy "creamy" soups made from coconut milk. The subtitle of this post could be the evolution of a recipe. In my wanderings around the internet, I found this blog and recipe, which was inspired by someone else's recipe and blog. Of course, I made adaptations and now it is something completely different but related. Sort of like me and some of my family! 
Coconut Milk Winter Squash soup

4 c water

1 T vegetable bouillion

1 can coconut milk

1 chopped onion

1 T finely chopped fresh ginger

1 T finely chopped lemongrass ( I recently found a jarred variety!)

2 cloves garlic, minced

s and p to taste

1 c or so of  cubed winter squash ( I used Green Kuri)

large handful of chopped kale

handful of chopped celery

2 c chopped cooked chicken

I had some already roasted chicken, so this came together quickly. Put everything together in a large saucepan and cook until vegetables are tender. ( about 10 minutes)

Hearty, Healthy, Comforting.