Healing Veggie Noodle Soup
From the new variant of COVID, seasonal allergies, and just the colder weather in general, we just surpassed a 2-3 week period of most of our friends and family feeling under the weather.
In my childhood, I used to get sick multiple times a year. From strep, to the flu, to mono, ulcers, bladder infections…. you name it, I probably had it at least once a year. It wasn’t until recently that I had come to the realization that I haven’t been sick in years. I haven’t needed any antibiotics or doctors visits since 2019, and I know that it has to do with cutting out processed, inflammatory foods and focusing my diet to be mainly whole foods.
I know that I say it a lot, but food is medicine. Fruits, veggies, and other foods from the earth are literally designed to be packed with the vitamins and minerals our cells use as fuel and enzymes to through energy metabolism, optimize our immune system, and fight oxidative stress (inflammation) in our bodies.
The phytochemicals in plants help to fight this inflammation (the root of all diseases), have the power to reduce the symptoms associated with chronic diseases (and even potentially reverse them) and definitely help to prevent the development of them (1). This includes diabetes, heart disease, cancers, and neurodegenerative diseases (1).
Like most, there is a nostalgia that comes with chicken noodle soup and being sick. Even when I was sick, I remember loving staying at home, being with my family, watching movies, and eating a warm bowl of chicken noodle soup and a ton of oyster crackers. Now that I am older, I have developed this much more nutrient dense version to better fuel my body against sickness, all while developing that similar nostalgic taste.
This soup is packed with vegetables to help decrease inflammation and boost immune system function, noodles that are packed in protein, and spices that are subtle and savory, which perfect for overcoming sickness or preventing it. The light spices and brothiness of the soup really embody the warmth and healing that food has to offer in our bodies, and it tastes good, too!
While I’m not a chicken person, you could easily add some into this soup if you please. (A side note on chicken, choose antibiotic/hormone free, as well as pasture raised. Pasture raised means that the chickens are given a 108-square foot area where they can eat bugs worms, grass, or anything in the soil that they would in nature, where as free range means that they only have 2-square feet).
Ingredients:
8 cups vegetable broth
5 medium sized carrots, halved and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
5 large celery stalks, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
2 small Japanese sweet potatoes, skin on, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
1 small head cauliflower, chopped into small florets
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of dried thyme
1 container of plant based pasta (I used chickpea quinoa penne pasta)
2 tablespoons of black pepper
Sprinkle of sea salt
1/4 head chopped green cabbage
1 bunch Italian parsley, chopped finely
Recipe:
Add 6 cups of the vegetable broth into a large pot and bring to a boil.
Once at a boil, add carrots, celery, sweet potatoes, cauliflower and garlic, setting to medium high for 10 minutes to cook the veggies, keeping the lid on the pot.
Add dried thyme, pepper, salt and pasta, letting it cook on medium-high for another 10 minutes, stirring intermittently and keeping the lid on.
Add green cabbage and Italian parsley at the end, then serve warm or store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
When you make this soup, let me know how you enjoy it, any feedback, or send me a picture! Food is medicine, and it all starts with our choices!
Sending you so much love, light, and healing.
B
References:
(1) Zhang YJ, Gan RY, Li S, et al. Antioxidant Phytochemicals for the Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Diseases. Molecules. 2015;20(12):21138-21156. Published 2015 Nov 27. doi:10.3390/molecules201219753