A quick blender lunch

I call it "Avocado Gazpacho" and it only takes minutes to make.  It's wonderfully healthy and satisfying, great for a candida or gluten-free diet, as well as vegetarian.  My recipe is for two servings, and please note --all amounts and ingredients are up to you!  I like mine chunky but just blend it to desired consistency.  It's great cold for a summer soup, but you can use hot water for cold weather eating.


In your blender or VitaMix, cut up and combine:

• 1/2-1 tomato
• 1/2 c. cucumber
• 1/3 c. green pepper
• 1/2-1 green onion
• 1/2-1 stalk celery
• 1 handful cilantro
• 1/2 avocado
• 1-2 T. olive oil
• garlic salt (or if you're brave, fresh garlic and salt)
• approximately 2/3 c. water or chicken broth

M-m-m, good!

Help for your soups

I learned a great health tip this year in one of my candida-diet cookbooks for cooking soups.

People who are dealing with candida tend not to absorb nutrients as well as they should, so a candida diet should focus on obtaining the highest quality nutrition possible.

Soups should be cooked only until the veggies are done but slightly crunchy.  I think I have overcooked my soups forever, but now that I do it this way, I love the flavors and textures.

So now, this is my soup-making process:

• Make my own broth ahead of time, chill, and de-fat it.  My pressure cooker is fantastic for this; I freeze it in quart jars.


• I pre-cook the meat I will use:  chicken, hamburger, roast, sausage.  This, too, can be done in large batches ahead of time and frozen.


• To prepare, I bring the broth and meat to a simmer and add the vegetables.


• I cook the soup from 5-15 minutes, depending on the vegetables, the less time the better.

Delicious!  Try it and see if you don't notice a difference.  :-)

Beef-Barley Vegetable Soup

By popular demand (two requests :-) ), herewith is one of our favorite winter soups.  It's hearty, healthy, can be done either on the stove or in a crockpot, and definitely qualifies as a comfort food.  Great with a whole-grain bread and better the second day!
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 Brown 1 lb. of stew meat or hamburger and drain if necessary.  (You can also use leftover cooked roast.)  Add 1/2 c. chopped onion and 1-2 cloves garlic, minced; cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add:

• 7 c. beef broth or water
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1/2-1 c. chopped onion
• 1 c. sliced celery
• 1/2 c. sliced carrots
• 1/2 c. pearled barley
• 2-4 bullion cubes (if using water)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp. basil

Cover and bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer and cook for 1 hour.  Barley soaks up a lot of liquid so add more water if necessary.  Add 1 pkg. frozen French green beans, cover and cook another 20 minutes, again adjusting liquid level if necessary.

Enjoy!

Potato-Cheese Soup

 This is one of my mom's comfort foods, filling and delicious.  Wonderful on a winter day!  
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Cube 5 or 6 potatoes (skins on or off as you prefer), cover with water just so it barely covers them, add 1/2 tsp. salt, 2 or 3 cloves of minced garlic, and an 8-oz. can of tomato sauce.  Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender.

Remove from heat and puree in batches in blender with enough milk to process.  (You can also just hand-mash them in the pan with a more lumpy result.  I actually use a Braun handheld blender right in the pan.)  Return to a low heat, add more milk to desired thickness, and reheat.  Add 2 cups grated cheddar cheese, stirring constantly until melted, and add more salt to taste if necessary. 

Serve with crackers or whole-grain bread and a green salad.

Note:  I have adapted this to a main-dish soup by adding browned hamburger or sausage and green chilies.

Nutritious, delicious, homemade broth

A super-healthy thing you can do for your family is to make your own homemade broth--not the anemic, expensive kind in a can from the grocery store!  After you make your own, you'll be spoiled forever.  It serves as the base for soups, sauces, and gravies, and adds wonderful flavor to cooking rice and other grains.  It's loaded with nutrients and enzymes that boost your health and strengthens your bones and connective tissues.  Give it a try!


Homemade Chicken or Beef Broth

For chicken broth:  You can either just cook up chicken pieces that you need for the meat, or use the unappealing pieces:  backs, wings, neck, etc.  Cover with filtered water in a large pot or crockpot (I usually make at least two or three quarts at a time--the more pieces, the richer the broth).

Add 1/4th of an onion, some celery tops, 2 or 3 peppercorns, and 2-3 tsp. of apple cider vinegar (this helps to draw the minerals out of the bones).  Simmer for several hours, covered.  Add salt to taste.  Strain the broth and chill.  The next day, remove the fat layer, spoon into freezer containers and freeze.

Instead of raw chicken parts, I will cook up the whole carcass leftover from a rotisserie chicken from Costco.  They are pre-seasoned and make up a delicious broth, also.

For beef broth:  You can follow the same process and ingredients above, but substitute some meaty beef bones (ones with marrow are best) or leftover bones from a roast.  You can also roast your own in the oven first, (400 degrees for 20 minutes or until nice and brown, turning halfway through).  This adds a much richer flavor than just using uncooked bones.

It's been my experience that beef broth takes longer to cook--I'd suggest all day.  It also doesn't have the lovely brown look of what you buy in the store, but it's better for you!  You'll have to experiment to see how much meat makes the kind of broth you like.