healing soup

 

The title of this post, “healing soup” couldn’t be more fitting: last week, the day before my husband’s birthday to be exact, our son Adriano and I caught a horrible virus that lasted 48 hours. Nothing more, nothing less, just 48 hours… but it felt like a long and horrible 48 hours let me I tell you! Funny enough, when the 48 hours was up, we were all back to normal, as if nothing had happened… except that my husband caught the bug 24 hours after us… as a nice birthday gift!

Even though we were all good a few days later, our stomachs were left a little fragile. So I raided my fridge to find ingredients to make a soup. Nothing, makes me feel better, then a warm bowl of thick soup that I can drink out of a cup. Some kids have fond memories of chicken noodle soup as a loving homemade remedy for whatever ill spell they were under, but me, it’s a dense vegetable soup or a potage as my mom called it. A potage is a French word for thick soup usually made with cream. But my mom didn’t use cream (even back then she knew dairy was a big no-no for soar stomachs – don’t you just miss that old school common sense some times!) She used whatever vegetables she had on hand and added loads of potatoes to thicken the soup. So that’s exactly what I did…

I found some carrots, turnips and a piece of parsnip. I also found some celery, leeks and onions. I was happy to still have some fresh ginger and thyme left to give my soup an additional boost of healing benefits. Sweet potatoes were going to be my thickening agent (I always have some type of potatoes on hand, luckily this time, it was sweet potato, which is my favourite!)

I’ll be honest, at the time of getting the ingredients together, I had no intention on posting this as a recipe or let alone take a pretty picture of it, simply because I wasn’t sure how this would turn out and I don’t want to share with you guys something I’m not 100% in love with. But by the time the soup was done and ready to eat, it tasted so darn good that I changed my mind. I felt like someone else could and should totally benefit from the heart warming, belly soothing and overall healing benefits of this soup. The texture is creamy, almost velvety, and it offers just enough sweetness from the carrots and sweet potatoes and zing from the ginger and parsnips. Luckily, the ingredients were easy to remember and jot down.

Speaking of jotting down, a few days before this horrible virus visited our home, I started reading the book “May Cause Miracles” by Gabrielle Bernstein. Have any of you read the book? It’s amazing! It is a 40-day guide were Gabby (dropping her name like I know her – I don’t – I’m just in love with her work so I kinda feel like I know her somehow!) literally holds your hand and guides you through a day by day journey into your better Self. Not bad, euh! Every day, different exercises are proposed be it meditation, writing, praying, repeating mantras… I’ll be able to share with you guys the impact all of this has had on me once I’m done the 40-day journey (I’m on day 14) but what I can tell you as of now is that this immense feeling of release and ease has washed over me. I never realized just how much I worry about so many things. Even tiny, little, insignificant things. Especially insignificant things! The release is addictive… I’ll keep you guys posted on my progress.

In the meantime, please enjoy this soup with your family and let me know what fond memories you have of your favourite homemade childhood food remedies.

xx

healing soup
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 10 portions
This soup is very easy to make and can be served hot or cold. Makes for great leftover lunches.
Ingredients
  • 2 medium carrots
  • 1 medium parsnip
  • 1 small turnip
  • 2 large sweet potatoes
  • 1 leek
  • 4 celery branches (keep the leafs – they’re going in the soup too!)
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 1 Tbs coconut oil
  • 1″ piece of fresh ginger, skin removed
  • 2 tsp fresh thyme
  • 6 Cups of water
  • 2 vegetable broth cubes
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Peel and coarsely chop the vegetables, including the ginger. Set aside.
  2. In a large pot, melt the coconut oil over medium high heat.
  3. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes.
  4. Add the remaining vegetables and stir.
  5. Add the water, ginger and fresh thyme.
  6. Bring to a boil.
  7. Add the vegetable broth cubes and stir.
  8. Bring the soup down to strong simmer and allow the vegetables to cook for at least 25 minutes.
  9. Once cooked, set aside and allow to cool for 10 mins.
  10. With a handheld blender, blend the soup until you reach a velvety thick consistency.
  11. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
  12. Enjoy

 

P.S. As you guys may have noticed, some adds have been added to my blog and you will now find some affiliated links. I now participate in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites. Please rest assured that the products I link to, are all products I personally use and love.

 

Cheezy root vegetable casserole

 

One of the things I love most about food blogging is the possibility to create and share recipes with all of you. I won’t lie, it can be a very frustrating and time consuming task, with multiple trips to the grocery store to get the same items and tweaking ingredients down to the last 1/4 teaspoon. But even though I’ve had my fair share of epic fails, when I nail a recipe and get the smile of approval from my husband and my toddler, it makes it all worth it.

Food blogging for me is also about sharing more then just my passion for good food, it’s about sharing my passion for nutrition or should I say, nourishment, as a whole. For me, it’s all about how to feed you and your family so you can thrive. I read a lot (and I mean a lot!) of food blogs. Some have entire posts dedicated to explaining the posted recipe. And that’s great, I love reading those blogs, but I tend to always go back to the ones that bring me a little something more, that give me some added knowledge along the way. And that’s what this food blog is all about. Me, sharing with you, the knowledge I’ve gained over the years along with some delicious family tested and approved recipes that will have you crowned Queen/King of the Kitchen.

So I hope you guys are enjoying this blog and if there’s a topic you would like me to cover or some questions you have about this lifestyle or anything else that’s on your mind, leave me a comment, I’d love to know!

Now on to this recipe… and some B-12 info!

This root vegetable casserole gets it’s cheezy flavour from the nutritional yeast in the sauce. Now don’t worry, nutritional yeast won’t have you balloon up like a rising bread. It’s deactivated yeast that grows from fungi, so it can’t be used in baking, but it can be used in cooking to add a cheezy, nutty and even creamy taste to a dish.

It is often found in vegan dishes, like this one, for the taste and nutrition it provides. Nutritional yeast is of particular interest to vegans and vegetarians because of it’s nutrient makeup. According to Dr. Axe, it’s a source of complete protein and vitamins, in particular B-complex vitamins, including the very important B-12 which is a vitamin vegans need to supplement their diet with as it is not found in the plant kingdom. A very important side note here: nutritional yeast contains B-12 because it has been fortified. According to Diane Vukovic over at Plenteousveg.com, yeast, like plants, does not make vitamin B12.  Only bacteria can produce B12.  Theoretically, nutritional yeast could contain bacteria and thus have natural B12.  However, nutritional yeast is grown in conditions in which bacteria is not allowed to grow. So vegans shouldn’t rely solely on nutritional yeast to meet their recommended daily B-12 intake and should read the labels of their nutritional yeast brand carefully to make sure it has been fortified with B-12.

As a quick reminder, the RDA for B-12 is 2.4 mcg daily though many experts agree it ranges more in the 4mcg. I personally make sure I take around 4mcg a day.

That being said, nutritional yeast contains other great nutrients like folates, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, selenium and zinc. It’s low in sodium and fat, gluten-free, and doesn’t contain any added sugars or preservatives. It also preserves immune functions, holds antiviral and antibacterial properties, helps improve digestion and contains beneficial protein and thiamine. It definitely deserves to be tagged a Superfood!

And did I mention it gives dishes a great cheezy taste! Cheese is one of those foods I enjoyed the taste of back in the days but knowing what I know now, eating it is definitely not an option anymore…

This dish is also full of other good for you ingredients that are high in protein and nutrients like brown rice, brown lentils, carrots, parsnips, celery, onion, garlic and pea mylk. Pea mylk is my new “mylk” obsession because of its creamy taste and its high protein content.

Now I’ll be honest with you, this dish does take a bit of time to cook, but it’s inactive time, so while it gently simmers and bakes, you can sit down and read a book or my blog (of course!), set the table, help the kids with their homework…what ever you need to do for 1 hour.

I hope you guys enjoy this recipe and don’t forget to let me know what topic you would like me to cover next!

xx

Cheezy root vegetable casserole
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4 portions
This recipe is gluten free and uses Lundberg rice brand. If being gluten free is not a concern for you, then any rice brand will do.
Ingredients
  • 1 tsp coconut oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 medium carrots, shredded (should give about 1 1/2 cup)
  • 1 medium parsnip, shredded (should give about 2 cups)
  • 1 Cup brown rice
  • 1/3 Cup brown lentils, uncooked
  • 2 tsp italian herb mix
  • 1 tsp Himalayan pink salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 2 Cups of water
  • 1 Cup mylk (I used pea mylk)
  • 1/3 Cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 Tbs corn startch
  • 1 Tbs water
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp granulated garlic
  • 1 tsp Himalayan pink salt
Instructions
  1. In a large pot, melt the coconut oil over medium high heat.
  2. Add the diced onion and minced garlic and cook for 2 mins.
  3. Add the shredded carrots and parsnips and cook for another 3 mins.
  4. Add the Italian spices, salt and pepper and stir.
  5. Add the rice and lentils and stir to combine.
  6. Add the water and bring to a boil over high heat.
  7. Cover and reduce the heat to low.
  8. Let simmer for 30-35 mins. It’s ok if the rice is still a little al dente.
  9. Preheat the oven at 350.
  10. While the rice and vegetables simmer, prepare the cheezy sauce.
  11. Add the mylk, nutritional yeast, Dijon mustard and garlic powder to a saucepan and whisk.
  12. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
  13. In a small bowl, dissolve the corn startch in the water and add to the sauce.
  14. Allow to simmer for 5 mins while whisking a few times.
  15. Set aside.
  16. Once the rice and vegetables are cooked, pour into an oven safe dish.
  17. Pour the cheezy sauce over it and mix around.
  18. Pop in the oven for 30 mins.
  19. Allow to cool 5 mins before serving.

 

 

French lentil Cakes

 

Happy Monday friends,

Ah les lentilles françaises, un vrai délice! If you’re French is a bit rusty, that means: Ah French lentils, how delicious!

French lentils, sometimes called Puy lentils (from the Puy region in France where they are cultivated) are often my go-to bean when I need to make a soup, a salad or in this case, a patty cake. One of the reason is that those little gems are slightly smaller in size then their cousins the brown and green lentils and they also hold their shape much better. The taste is also slightly different. The French lentils tend to taste earthier, in contrast to the brown and green lentils that I find taste a bit more…peppery.

I also choose lentils over other beans, generally speaking, because of their nutritional makeup. These little guys are serious power houses. According to a great article written by Dr.Axe, lentils have been found to lower bad cholesterol and prevent heart disease, improve digestive health, help alkalize the body and regulate the pH level, help manage blood sugar levels, are high in protein and improve immunity. Not bad for such a little pod!

The nutritional data of one cup of cooked French lentils breaks down like this:

  • 230 calories
  • 18 grams protein
  • 15 grams of fiber
  • 3.5 grams sugar
  • less than 1 gram fat
  • 358 milligrams folate (90 percent DV)
  • 1 milligram manganese (49 percent DV)
  • 6.6 milligrams iron (37 percent DV)
  • 356 milligrams phosphorus (36 percent DV)
  • 0.5 milligrams copper (25 percent DV)
  • 0.5 milligrams thiamine (22 percent DV)
  • 731 milligrams potassium (21 percent DV)
  • 71 milligrams magnesium (18 percent DV)
  • 0.4 milligrams vitamin B6 (18 percent DV)
  • 2.5 milligrams zinc (17 percent DV)
  • 1.3 milligrams vitamin B5/pantothenic acid (13 percent DV)

I told you it was good stuff!

Fiber and protein are the two big winners for me here (along with folate, manganese, iron…but let’s stick to the basics).

When eating a plant based diet and living a very active lifestyle, you want to make sure your body is getting enough protein. The average recommended intake is 42 grams of protein, give or take a little depending on your lifestyle. So lentils here are a no brainer, providing 43% of your daily protein intake in just one cup! But fiber plays just as vital a role and is not nearly as talked about as protein. Sadly, very few people here in North America still meet their minimum daily fiber requirement.

According to Michael Greger, M.D. FACLM over at NutritionFacts.org, “less than 3% of Americans get even the recommended minimum adequate intake of fiber. On average, we get only about 15 grams a day. The minimum daily requirement is 31.5 [grams], so we get less than half the minimum. Men are particularly deficient. If we break down intake by age and gender, after studying the diets of 12,761 Americans, the percent of men between ages 14 and 50 getting the minimum adequate intake is zero.”

“This deficit is stunning in that dietary fiber has been protectively associated in population studies with the risk of diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and various cancers as well high cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugars. Therefore, it is not surprising that fiber is listed as a nutrient of concern reported by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.”

 

This is not good news my friends! But with just one cup of cooked lentils, you reach half your daily fiber intake goal. Add a pear, a banana and a nice oat muffin and you’ve easily met your total daily goal. Heck, you could even combine all of those in one meal. And you’ll feel so much better when you do!

This recipe for French lentil cakes easily allows you to meet your total daily fiber intake. I don’t normally calculate nutrition information for my recipes because I believe you should eat intuitively (promise I will write a post on that very soon) but I did calculate the fiber content per serving of this recipe and it adds up to 34 grams of fiber ( I used this calculator).

I hope you and your family enjoy these power house French lentil cakes. Leave me a comment and let me know how you make sure you have enough fiber in your diet.

xx

French lentil Cakes
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6 portions
These lentil cakes are easy to make, gluten-free and very versatile. You can eat them as is, served with a side salad or in a bun, sandwiched between some lettuce leafs, pickles, tomatoes and avocado slices! They also freeze well for up to three months.
Ingredients
  • 2 Cups cooked French lentils, canned
  • 1 Cup sweet potato, peeled and cubed
  • 2 carrots, peeled and cubed
  • 2 Cups parsnips, peeled and cubed
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 tsp olive oil – divided
  • 1 tsp Italian herb mix
  • 1 tsp roasted garlic, ground
  • 1/4 Cup fresh parsley
  • 1/2 Cup brown rice flour
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Add your root vegetables to a steamer basket and set over a pot of water. Make sure you’ve peeled and cut your root vegetables about the same size so they’ll steam in the same time.
  2. Bring the water to a boil and allow the vegetables to cook for 10 minutes or until fork tender.
  3. In the meantime, in a pan, heat 2 tsp of olive oil over medium high heat.
  4. Add the onion and the garlic and cook for 3 minutes.
  5. Add the Italian herb mix and stir.
  6. Remove from heat and add to a mixing bowl.
  7. Add the French lentils and the root vegetables once cooked.
  8. With a potato masher, mash the mixture until you reach a thick but smooth consistency.
  9. Add the brown rice flour, salt and pepper. Mix well.
  10. The mixture will get thick.
  11. Add the parsley.
  12. If you have a few extra minutes to spare, put in the fridge to set for 10-15 minutes. The cakes will be easier to form.
  13. Spray a plate with some oil.
  14. With an ice cream scoop, scoop out portions of the mixture and flatten with a spatula on the plate.
  15. Heat the remaining olive oil in a pan over medium high heat.
  16. Place the patty cakes in the pan and cook 3 minutes on each side until lightly brown.