Vegetable soup to heal.

Who was it that said "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food" - wasn't it someone famous?  Or important?  I'm thinking it was a philosopher of sorts...

I bet my friend Natali knows who said it.  She knows everything about every language.

Dangit!  Why can't I remember who said that!  Well, regardless, they sure may have been on to something...

When Stuart began feeling under the weather a few days ago, I ran to the store to pick up a few simple ingredients I needed to make a soup for him (I didn't have any zucchini!).  A soup to soothe the soul, replenish lost minerals, warm the belly and warm the heart.  Food, instead of medicine.

My homeopathic doctor told me that when you begin to feel under the weather, it's best to sip on homemade broths and eliminate all dairy, meat and wheat from your diet momentarily.  These take extra work for your body to digest, and the basic idea when you're sick is to 'keep-it-simple-stupid'.  Fruits, vegetables, broth, water, herbal teas, etc.  

So, just in case any of my dear readers are feeling under the weather, I wanted to post the vegetable soup recipe that I use for sickness around here.  It's very easy to make and can be enjoyed by all members of the family - sick or not.  Georgia and I are both feeling great and we still sipped on this soup for two days (though I did add in a few spoonfuls of cooked lentils into ours for more substance).

Plus, we also got to enjoy ours with some fresh made sourdough bread smeared with cultured butter.  Oh my, my, my.

When I first found this recipe in Nourishing Traditions, it boasted about how this soup was recommended for "increased energy and treatment of stress.  In particular, zucchini with its high sodium content nourishes the adrenal glands.  Thomas Connelly, a chiropractor from Washington D.C., recommends this soup for back pain, ligament problems and other symptoms of depleted adrenal function.".  After I ate this soup (each time!) I felt fantastic.  It sits in your belly so lightly and delicately, just like simple food does.  Yum.

Okay.  Enough blabbing.  Here we go.

Healing Vegetable Soup
Original Recipe from Nourishing Traditions
You will need:
 - 6 cups of homemade chicken, turkey, or beef stock
 - 5 tablespoons organic tomato paste
 - 3 organic zucchini or summer squash, washed, quartered, and sliced thinly
 - 1 1/2 cups of fresh (or frozen...just not canned) green beans, chopped unto 1" pieces
 - 1 1/2 cups of organic celery, chopped
 - 4 tablespoons parsley, chopped
 - 1 teaspoon paprika
 - Salt and pepper, to taste
 - Herbs of course, to taste (I used 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1 teaspoon oregano)

Step One:  Combine the stock and tomato paste together in a soup pot, whisk to combine, and allow it to simmer for five minutes.

Step Two:  Add in all the chopped vegetables.  Simmer for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender.

Step Three:  Once the vegetables are tender, stir in your herbs and seasonings.  Adjust to taste.

Now, you can either serve this soup as is...or, you can do like I did for Stuart (who has a thing against cooked vegetables) and blend it all together to create a nice, smooth soup.  Either way is delicious!  It's meant to be a simple meal for our little bodies to digest.

This soup is a wonderful tool to use if your in the process of detoxing or just looking for a way to improve your....regularity, if you will.

I know that, ahem, regularity isn't a very socially acceptable topic of conversation, but it is vital for the health of our bodies, none-the-less.  Eating delicious vegetables and mineral rich, easily absorbed broths greatly benefit our digestive...er...future?

Ya.  I think that's a good stopping point for today.

The end.

For other great meal ideas, no matter what your dietary restrictions, check out the meal planning service I use: Real Plans.

Healing Vegetable Soup

Original Recipe from Nourishing Traditions

• 6 cups homemade chicken, turkey, or beef stock
• 5 tbsp organic tomato paste
• 3 organic zucchini, washed, quartered, and sliced thinly ((or summer squash))
• 1 ½ cups fresh green beans, chopped unto 1″ pieces ((or frozen…just not canned))
• 1 ½ cups organic celery, chopped
• 4 tbsp parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp paprika
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Herbs of course, to taste (I used 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1 teaspoon oregano)

1. Combine the stock and tomato paste together in a soup pot, whisk to combine, and allow it to simmer for five minutes.

2. Add in all the chopped vegetables.  Simmer for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender.

3. Once the vegetables are tender, stir in your herbs and seasonings.  Adjust to taste.

4. Now, you can either serve this soup as is…or, you can do like I did for Stuart (who has a thing against cooked vegetables) and blend it all together to create a nice, smooth soup.  Either way is delicious!  It's meant to be a simple meal for our little bodies to digest.