I hate doing stuff like “rice” or “pasta” with quotation marks because I know it certainly makes me roll my eyes when I see it, but I promise this one is worth it! I’m a big fan of soup in the wintertime. It’s nourishing, comforting, and budget-friendly. It’s a great way to clean up your diet and your finances after the holidays.

Speaking of finances, while I did indulge in some post-holiday shopping, I’m still feeling the effects of the Fiscal Femme 30-Day Money Cleanse I did this fall and really tuning in to the “why” of my purchases and noting what’s essential, what’s practical or worth it, and what’s downright frivolous or simply an emotional buy. If you want to join the next group of cleansers on January 15th, you can save $20 when you sign up using the code JESSMONEY.

On the food front, on New Years Day and into that first week of the year, I like to eat a lot of green stuff. Maybe it’s a little superstitious and silly, but I like the idea that the visual symbolism will help me attract money in the new year. Soup is one of my favorite ways to do that. This time of year a lot of my clients ask for low-carb recipes. I realized that so many of my soup recipes call for beans, peas, or lentils, so I finally whipped this up to provide an alternative. Because rice obviously is a carb, I swapped in cauliflower rice here. It’s a delicious substitute that provides plenty of filling fiber plus key nutrients like vitamin A, B-vitamins, and potassium.

To make this paleo-compliant, swap out the olive oil for coconut oil. Another delicious, nutritious swap would be to use bone broth in place of the regular chicken or veggie broth.

Low-Carb Turkey & Rice Soup

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 lb organic ground turkey
• 4 leeks, sliced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon rosemary
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped kale
• 1 10-ounce package frozen riced cauliflower
• 1/2 cup dry red wine (optional)
• 8 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

Directions: 

1. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add turkey and cook until browned. Set aside.
2. prepare kale and cauliflower rice according to package directions . Set aside.
3. In a large stock pot, heat remaining oil. Add leeks and carrots and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté another minute until fragrant. Add spices and toss well to coat. If using, add wine and raise heat. Bring to a boil and reduce down by half. Lower heat again and add mushrooms and turkey. Stir well.
4. Add broth and raise heat again to bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Serve hot.

Nutrition information (via USDA Supertracker) per serving (about 2 cups of soup)

Some other soup recipes you may like:

• Broccoli Rabe Chickpea Tomato Soup
• Budget-Friendly Chickpea Stew
• Gnocchi Chicken Soup
• Keep It Simple Chicken Soup
• Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Red Lentil Soup
• Vegan Red Lentil Tempeh Chili

What’s your favorite soup? Have you ever done a money cleanse?