"Better than Chicken Soup" Soup

Despite the fact that spring has sprung, my birthday is around the corner, and I had spent a sunny Sunday watching a baseball double-header and eating ice cream, I whispered and pleaded my way through a day at work. I accidentally got to work early and took a nap on the couch in my classroom until a few minutes before students would arrive. This should have been my first warning sign. By 2 pm I was ready to cry every time someone made me use my voice (i.e. "Can I go to the bathroom?" "What are we supposed to be doing?" "Can I use the computer?" "What's our math homework?")

When I find myself sniffling, aching, or hacking, I make this soup. That is, of course, if I don't feel too bad to cook and don't just buy Whole Foods Chicken Noodle Soup, which, by the way, is worth every penny of the 799 it costs.

Whole Foods Market, The 'Better than Chicken Soup' Soup Recipe

• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 tbs. olive oil
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric
• 6-8 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 cups fresh kale, julienned
• 1 cup butternut squash, cut into 1/4" cubes
• 2 tbs. grated ginger
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (if you can handle it)
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 tsp. miso paste

Directions:

1. Over medium-high heat, saute onion and garlic in the oil for about three minutes.
2. Stir in the turmeric and mushrooms, saute for another two minutes.
3. Add the broth, kale, squash, ginger, and cayenne. Bring the soup to a boil.
4. Reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Remove the soup from heat. After it cools slightly, add the lemon juice and miso (adding the miso when the soup is too hot will cause the miso to lose some of its nutrients). Cover and let sit for five minutes before serving.

What makes it so beneficial?

• Garlic: Helps increase the power of your immune system, while decreasing the duration of a cold.
• Turmeric & Cayenne: These spices help support your immune spices. Plus, spicy foods, like cayenne, help clear sinuses.
• Shiitake Mushrooms: You can also use reishi, maitake, and cordyceps. These mushrooms contain compounds that stimulate your immune system.
• Kale: Dark, leafy greens like kale contain immune boosters: beta-carotene, lutein, and lycopene.
• Butternut Squash: This squash is rich with Vitamin A, which helps the production and activity of some white blood cells.
• Ginger: The benefits of ginger are endless, but it is known for supporting your immune system.
• Fresh Lemon: Hello Vitamin C! Vitamin C aids white blood cell production and healthy inflammation response. Vitamin C can be taken preventively to decrease the severity and duration of your cold.
• Miso: This soybean paste contains probiotics, helping your body maintain healthy levels of bacteria.

It had been awhile since I made this soup (health!), so I didn't remember the kale or the butternut squash when I was at the market last night. They definitely make it a lot more toothsome, but it has all the same flavor without. And while the miso adds a nice touch, it's impossible to buy a container small enough for me to feel efficient about purchasing it, so I went without that too.

L'chaim!

Turkey Soup for the Stressed Holiday Soul

This holiday season is proving to be particularly stressful for me: travels, festivities, families, friends, finances ....deep breath...which is why I haven't been cooking or blogging. Luckily before things got crazy, my housemates and I hosted our annual Pre-Thanksgiving Potluck the week before Turkey Day. We had an enormous amount of food for our enormous amount of friends. There was very little leftover except....turkey! In the days following the potluck, I whipped up this tasty soup with a bunch of fresh and frozen veggies, thyme, and Chinese five spice.
Looking at this inviting bowl makes me feel even more disappointed about how little cooking I've done since making this soup, and subsequently, disappointed by how few truly satisfying meals I've had in the last few weeks. While food is always such an important part of the holidays in my family and to me personally, I have found myself eating poorly in these weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I don't mean eating lots of sweets and holiday foods. Restaurant-eating and processed and ready-made foods have seemed to invade my diet in the last few weeks. As much as I'm looking forward to my holiday plans (spending time in the kitchen and dining room of my sister and brother-in-law, who taught me what it meant to be a foodie), I'm also anxious for life to get back to normal so I can get back in my own kitchen.

Generous Amounts of Kale

As the days of my neighborhood farmers' market season dwindle, I'm trying to indulge in the convenience of its location and its delectable fall produce bounty. Last week I bought some Empire apples, a few squash, and a GIANT bunch of kale. I'd been meaning to make this soup and the Sam's Club size bunch of kale seemed to be made for this recipe: Cannellini Bean Soup with Kale. I'll admit, however, as delicious as it was, now that I ate it...7? times in one week, I don't think I'll be making it again anytime soon. It was especially good with a grilled cheese at Serving 4 or 5. I also made The Barefoot Contessa's Saffron Risotto with Butternut Squash....to.die.for. Even without the saffron, for which I couldn't bare to shed $18.99 at Giant. I remember the first time I ever made this recipe (my first ever risotto) with a dear old friend; we hunted down saffron threads at Treasure Island grocery store in Chicago, then sweat over the stove for what seemed like hours before devouring the creamy richness. Sorry no pictures...I ate it too fast!