Comfort food: CTCA Chef Kenny Wagoner's recipe for potato leek soup

November 2, 11:04 AMOrganic Food ExaminerNatalie Rotunda

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Whether or not you live in a cold climate, homemade soup is purely this---a bowl of comfort that reinforces the body and soul against cold weather, or a bad day at the office. Cancer Treatment Centers of America Executive Chef Kenny Wagoner’s soup recipe calls for root vegetables, potatoes and carrots, for a deeply satisfying, delicious main course. While the soup simmers on the stovetop, make a salad of mixed greens, onions, and slices of mango and/or avocado.

Hungry for healthy cookies? Before you serve the soup and salad, you’ll have time to prepare a batch of organic, gluten-free cookies from Doodles cookie mix (around here, nut butter is the favorite).

We also like to serve a couple of slices of Rocky Mountain Organic Meats’ summer sausage with our soup and salad. (They’re 100% organic, down to the spices.)

Soup leftovers make a hearty, quick lunch the next day. Just heat, and eat. Good eats!

Potato Leek Soup
Serves 10

1 ½ pounds peeled diced potatoes (cut ½ inch cubes)
1 teaspoon chicken base (powdered chicken broth)
3 ¾ cup water
1 tablespoon butter
¾ cup flour
1 cup fresh leeks, chopped
1 cup fresh carrots, diced
½ cup fresh celery, diced
¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
1 ½ tablespoons heavy cream
½ teaspoon parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix butter and flour to make roux.

In a stockpot, combine potatoes, leeks, carrots, and celery in water. Add herbs and spices. Add chicken stock. Add roux mix, whisking to make sure lumps do not form. Add Cream. Simmer on low heat until vegetables are tender.

Kenny Wagoner, CEC, CCA, is executive chef at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) in Tulsa. CTCA provides a comprehensive, patient-centered treatment model that fully integrates traditional, state-of-the-art medical treatments with scientifically supported complementary therapies such as nutrition, naturopathic medicine, psychological counseling, physical therapy and spiritual support to meet the special, whole-person needs of patients with advanced and complex cancer.

I'd like to share a truly inspirational story with you about cancer survivor Joe Bacal who is driving off-road in the Baja 1000 later this month. Joe's on a mission to help others take control of the chaos, like a cancer diagnosis, in their lives. Meet Joe via YouTube.  If you haven't heard of Joe, check out his Facebook fan page

In St. Cloud, MN, shop for all things organic---everything you need for today's recipe---at the Good Earth Food Coop, 2010 8th Street North. Non-members are always welcome.