It's that time of the year when almost everybody is sniffling and can be seen with a tissue box. Meat eaters have chicken soup as a magic potion to feel better and comfort themselves. So what's the option for us vegetarians in times like this?
The answer is "stinking rose" aka immune booster garlic. Include it in your diet as much as possible to not only fight this year's flu but also because it is an antioxidant, keeps your blood pressure under check, lowers cholesterol, and slows down the progress of cancerous cell growth to mention just a few.
I always make it a point to include a lot of garlic, especially in my soup recipes, so I was thrilled to see a soup recipe which actually highlights its flavor and benefits.
I found this recipe in the Vitality magazine. People in Canada, don't forget to pick up a copy whenever you are in the library or any natural health food store.
Getting quality information about health and related issues for free should not be missed. I also learned from the article that it is best to consume garlic crushed and raw or when cooked minimally. That's why crushed garlic is added just before serving in this soup recipe.
Because not everyone likes garlic flavor, I have mentioned that it's optional, but I highly suggest including it as instructed in the recipe. Since I'm not a person who follows a recipe as it is, I used quinoa instead of lentils and included a good bunch of kale to boost the nutrition even more.
Recipe
Flu-Fighter Garlic Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil extra-virgin
- 1 big onion chopped
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 big carrot finely chopped
- 5 mushroom caps, finely chopped, (I used cremini)
- ¼ cup coriander finely chopped
- ½ cup quinoa rinsed
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 6 cups vegetable broth or water
- salt, pepper and crushed red chili flakes to taste
Optional Ingredients:
- 1 cup kale finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
Substitutions:
- quinoa = lentils
- kale = spinach or swiss chard
Instructions
- In a medium-sized pan heat oil and saute the onions, turmeric powder, red chili flakes, and garlic. Add a little salt so that the onions will cook faster.
- Add the carrots, mushrooms, coriander, and fry for a few minutes.
- Stir in the rinsed quinoa and vegetable broth/water. Add more salt and pepper and cook for about 15-20 minutes until the quinoa is cooked. If you feel that the quinoa has absorbed a lot of water making a stew-like consistency add some more broth/water. Switch off the stove.
- Stir in the chopped kale and minced garlic if using. The heat will wilt the greens.
My Notes
- Lentils can be used instead of quinoa; in that case, the cooking time would be about 35-40 minutes. Using a pressure cooker would reduce the cooking time.
- I used no-salt-added homemade vegetable broth. So used about 1.25 teaspoons of salt to the soup, which is reflected in the sodium content in the chart below. If you use store-bought vegetable broth the sodium content will vary.
Nutrition
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