Time to Detox

After the holidays and after I have eaten more than I had planned, I thought it was a good idea to go on a detox soup.

I found one at glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com – here and I set to make this delicious soup.  As usual, I did not have all the ingredients so I made up my own version and added a few extra spices.

So here’s my version.  We loved it and I ate it 4 times in a row. Felt great after, but not sure how much detoxing I did.

Happy detoxing!

 

Harvest Veggie Detox Soup

1 T. olive oil

4 cloves garlic pressed

1/4 to 1/2 t. ginger powder

2 t. curry powder

1 t. tumeric

1/2 t. cayenne pepper powder

1 onion chopped

3 carrots peeled and chopped

1 cup fresh zucchini cut up in small chunks

1 apple peeled and diced

1 cup pumpkin – fresh (you could use sweet potato or butternut squash if you don’t have pumpkin)

2 cups shredded cabbage

1 qt. water

1 cup tomato paste

1 1/2 cups chick peas soaked already

salt, cajun spice, 2 vegetable bouillon cubes, italian seasonings, Jo Jo Potato seasoning– all to taste

cook in crock pot until everything is tender. pay special attention to the chick peas.

Add 14 oz coconut milk and 1 t. raw honey

and blend in blender a little at a time.

You can garnish with lime slice and cilantro.

I creamed only as I ate the soup. I just added the coconut milk in the soup just before blending and then I could save the soup in the fridge for later, at which time I heated and then creamed the soup.

Perfect for several meals.

If you are doing on stove top, just cook covered on low until all the vegetables are tender. (about 30 min.) In this case I would use canned or cooked chick peas.

 

Cajun Chicken Soup

In the cold weather, you can’t beat Chicken Soup. I made this video for my newly married daughter last year when we were staying in America for a few months and I just found it today. I thought I would post as it is probably cold in the USA since it is December already. What a good soup to make for a decorating the tree night. I like to eat with garlic toast or brown rice.

 

 

Black Bean Soup

For a really quick soup:

1 can black beans or two cups of cooked  black beans I usually use dried beans, soak overnight, rinse in the morning and cover with new water. place in crockpot on low or high till beans are tender.  usually all day.

1cup salsa

heat and serve

Garnishes and additions:

handsome dollop of greek yogurt or sour cream

grated Pepper Jack Cheese

Blue corn chips or brown rice

eat with avocado salad

Try something Thai- Tom Kha Gai

 

This dish is called Tom kha Gai

which basically means boiled chicken with Galangal  It is very important that you have Galangal. It is a type of ginger but very menthol like.  When I first had this, I didn’t like it.   Now I am hooked. 🙂

This does not need to cook a long time, just until the chicken is barely cooked.  It is best to use fresh chicken that has not been frozen.

Tom Kha Gai

1 1/2 inch piece of galangal, peeled and sliced
small bunch fresh cilantro with roots
4 kaffir lime leaves (makrut), torn
1 stem lemongrass, sliced lengthways
3 tablespoons fish sauce
juice of 2 small limes
1 3/4 cups coconut milk
3 chicken breast, cut into thin strips
1 red long or green bird chilies –  seeded and sliced

Put the galangal, cilantro roots, lime leaves, lemongrass and 4 cups of water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the fish sauce and lime juice, decrease the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the cilantro roots. Add the coconut milk, bring back to a boil and boil for a couple of minutes. Add
the chicken pieces and cook for just a minute or so, until the chicken is soft and milky looking and cooked through. Throw in the chile and mix well.

Serve in bowls with the cilantro leaves roughly chopped and scattered over the top. Eat with rice if desired.