Garlic Soup (the best thing for a cold)
This simple broth is guaranteed to open your sinus’ and make you feel a whole lot better. Yes there is a lot of garlic. That’s what makes it so good for you. And it won’t leave you smelling like garlic. Give it a try next time the flu bug bites.
1 Whole garlic root (about 10 to 15 cloves)
2Tablespoons good olive oil
2 cups fresh, pure water
4 Tablespoons red miso
Peel all cloves from the garlic and discard any that are black or shrivelled. You should have about 10 to 15 garlic cloves left. Cut each clove in half and set aside. In a small soup pot heat the Olive Oil. Add all garlic and saute about 5minutes until fragrant and soft. Add the water and the Red Miso, stir until the miso is dissolved. Gently heat the soup for about 15 minutes but do not boil. The garlic cloves will become soft and mild. Serve immediately and enjoy.
Serves 2 people
Eggplant Chili (meat eater approved)
1 1lb tub extra firm tofu (Chinese style)
1 large yellow onion
4 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium eggplant
1 16oz can kidney beans
1 small can tomato paste
4 red chilies
3 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
2 mild green chilies
2 tbsp. paprika
3 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. coriander
3 cloves
pinch of mace
water
1/4 tsp. salt
4 quart crock pot
Prepare your ingredients.
Remove tofu from water and place on an angled cutting board to drain. Remove onion skin and ends, chop coarsely. Remove eggplant top and chop into 1/2 inch cubes. Drain kidney beans and set aside. Remove tops and all seeds from chilies, cut into toothpick style strips (wear gloves as the chili oil can burn your hands). Chop garlic thinly and set aside.
Cook
Place olive oil in a large fry pan and add chopped onions plus garlic. Cook for 5 or 10 minutes over medium high heat. As onion begin to become translucent, add in tofu. Be careful as the water may spatter. Chop the tofu with a spatula, stirring it in the fry pan until; it begins to look like scrabbled eggs. Continue frying over medium high heat, letting as much water escape as you can. After another 5 minutes or so, add paprika, coriander and chili powder. Fry for a minute more, then empty spiced onions and tofu into your crock pot. Add all remaining ingredients (expect salt) into crock pot and mix. Pat down ingredients in crock pot and then add water up to approximately 3/4 inch BELOW the top of the ingredients. This will cook down. Turn on crock pot with LOW setting for 6 to 8 hours.
Serve
Add salt to taste before serving. This chili is also superb with Sour Cream on top.
Chicken Peanut Stew West African Style
Our family loves this simple, mild stew with a rich peanut broth. I have modified the original west African style dish to leave out the onions and garlic, looking to pepper instead for a spicy tang. This recipe is also compatible with most low-carb and Candida diets. Be sure you make a little extra – this stew is even better for lunch the next day!
2 large chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cut to bite size
chunks
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 large carrots, washed and cut to bite size pieces
2 large sweet potatoes, skinned and cut to bit size chunks.
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cup concentrated, low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter, preferably Adams or other natural
brand with no sugar added
1 small 6 0z can tomato paste
Salt to taste
Brown rice
Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in the bottom of medium sized soup pot. Heat to high, add in chicken and sauté, covered, for about 5 minutes or until chicken chunks are cooked through. Place a colander in the sink and dump hot chicken into colander to drain away all moisture and fat. Return soup pot to stove and add remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Heat again to high and drop in cut carrots. As carrots sear, stir in cayenne pepper and black pepper. Fry carrots on high for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add drained chicken in to pot and stir into mix, browning both carrots and chicken. In a separate bowl, place 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth and whisk together the broth with the peanut butter. It should form a smooth broth. Add remaining chicken broth into the soup pot with the chicken and carrot mix. Stir together the mix and then fold in the tomato paste. Be sure to stir the tomato paste thoroughly to distribute it. Cook for 3 minutes and then mix in the chicken broth /
peanut butter blend. Add in the sweet potatoes, mix and reduce heat. Cover pot and cook for about 15 minutes until Sweet Potatoes are soft. Salt to taste and serve over brown rice.
Serves 4
Spicey French Lentils with Sausage Soup
One rainy winter evening our family got so cold that our toes were aching. We needed something tangy and warm to heat us up on the inside. Here is what came out:
1 tablespoon sweet cream butter
2 large carrots chopped
2 large stalks celery chopped
Teaspoon cumin
Dash black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Dash cayenne pepper
1 lb sweet Italian pork sausage
3 cups low salt chicken broth
1 1/2 cups dry French Lentils
Grated Parmesan Reggiano for a topping
This is a simple sauté-and-broth soup that is ready in less than 30 minutes. In a good heavy-bottom stockpot melt the butter and add carrots, celery and dry spices. Sauté over high heat for about 5 minutes until the vegetables begin to cook and the spices become fragrant. Chop the sausage on a cutting board and then add it into the sauté. Cook the sausage over high heat with the vegetable mix for another 5 minutes until it has browned well. The sausage, however, does not have to be fully cooked, as the broth will finish cooking it. Add in chicken broth and French lentils. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low. Cover with a lid and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes until lentils are softened but not mushy. Serve immediately and top with grated Parmesan or pecorino Romano cheese for extra flavor.
Serves 4