If you are feeling a little spacey, a little anxious, a little constipated and bloated or just want a seasonal, warm winter meal, try the soup recipe below. It’s simple and delightful this time of year!

GROUNDING SOUP

- adapted from Jen Hoy’s recipe at about.com

According to Chinese 5 element theory, round and root vegetables strengthen the spleen and reproductive organs, nourish the liver, and aid digestion. This soothing soup has a notable calming, easing effect, and should be eaten often by anyone with a sensitive nervous system. The soup also helps promote lactation, and balance blood sugar. It is especially good during the cooler months, as it is considered a warming soup.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:

* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 sweet onion, peeled and chopped
* 1 leek, white and green parts, chopped
* 1 clove garlic, chopped fine
* 1 stalk celery, chopped
* 1 medium carrot, chopped
* 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped
* 1 medium parsnip, peeled and chopped
* 1 small turnip or rutabaga, peeled and chopped
* 1 small pumpkin, or butternut or kabocha squash, peeled and chopped
* 1 bay leaf
* 2 quarts vegetable or beef stock
* 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
* Sea salt
* Chopped parsley (optional)
* fresh ginger to taste (optional)

Preparation:
In large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, leek, garlic, celery and carrot, and sauté until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add potato, sweet potato, parsnip, turnip, pumpkin and bay leaf. Stir vegetables, and then add vegetable stock.

Bring to a boil, cover the pan, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Add thyme, and sea salt to taste. Cook an additional 5 minutes.

Remove bay leaf, and puree soup in a Vitamix, if desired.

To serve: Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with a sprinkle of chopped parsley. This soup keeps well for several days.

Makes about 3 quarts, or 6 servings.

JCCIC Luncheon page

Inaugural Luncheon Recipes

(Seafood Stew, Roasted Duck with Cherry Confit, Herb-Roasted Pheasant with Wild Rice Stuffing, Winter Vegetables, Molasses Whipped Sweet Potatoes and Cinnamon Apple Sponge Cake)

I clumsily picked apart the bird and was left with the bones. A perfect, perfect excuse for homemade soup stock.

Making soup stock from bones is powerful medicine. The long cooking time in stock allows the heat of the water to penetrate the bone, releasing really potent nutrition into the stock. What is leftover is nothing short of medicine — cures for the common cold, liquid bone-building nutrition, numerous nutrients that can penetrate into our bodies and revitalize, nourish, and rebuild us during these dormant winter months.

Below is a stock recipe which the household turkey is contributing to. Again I have an opportunity to give thanks for its life and maximise its gift to the household. Again I have a chance to be grateful for such nourishment and celebrate its life by going forth and celebrating my own.

Reduced Fat Turkey Stock:

• 1 Organic turkey carcass
• 10 to 12 cups water
• 1/2 cup carrot slices
• 1 celery rib, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 burdock root, scrubbed clean and chopped
• 1/2 large onion, cut into chunks
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1 small whole dried red pepper
• 2 sprigs rosemary (or 1 tbsp. dried)
• 1 sprig sage (or 2 tsp. dried)
• 1/2 tbsp. dried oregano
• 4-8 whole peppercorns
• sea salt to taste (or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos if you tolerate soy well)

Place broken bits of turkey in a large soup pot over medium-high heat and cover with water by at least an inch. Add carrots, celery, burdock, onion, garlic and herbs and spices. Cover and bring slowly to a boil; reduce heat to low and skim off any scum on surface. It is important to simmer your stock and do not continue to let it boil. This leads to a richer tasting stock. Furious bubbling breaks up particles and causes clouding also. Cover the pot and simmer approximately 3 to 4 hours.

Remove from heat to strain. To remove smaller bits in the stock pour the liquid through a fine mesh sieve placed over a large pot. Discard turkey bones, meat, and vegetables. Place stock into shallow containers and refrigerate immediately. Refrigerate soup stock overnight and skim any congealed fat from the surface in the morning.

The stock will last for about a week in the fridge. You can freeze the stock and it should maintain taste and quality for about three months. This nutritive stock can be used for turkey soup, as the liquid for boiling brown rice or other whole grains, or as a healing broth for the ill over the winter season.

1 head garlic
1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 lbs ripe Italian plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
3 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato paste
1/2 cup shredded fresh basil, loosely packed
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Whole basil leaves, to garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Remove loose, papery skin from garlic, leaving heads intact.
3. Place garlic on a sheet of heavy-duty foil; drizzle with 1/4 teaspoon olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.
4. Loosely wrap foil around garlic, folding foil edges securely.
5. Roast until garlic has softened, about 40 minutes, and then transfer to plate.
6. Open carefully and discard foil; let garlic cool.
7. Separate garlic into cloves.
8. Squeeze soft garlic from each clove into a small bowl; set aside.
9. Heat about ¼ water or broth in a large saucepan until simmering

10. Add the onion and roasted garlic. Cook gently for about 5 minutes, stirring, until the onion is softened.
11. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, then add the stock, white wine and sun-dried tomato paste, with salt and pepper to taste.
12. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, half cover the pan, and simmer gently for 20 minutes, shirring occasionally to keep the tomatoes from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
13. Process the soup with the shredded basil in a Vitamix or food processor until smooth and return to the pan.
14. Do not allow the soup to approach the boiling point.
15. Check the consistency and add more stock if necessary, then season with salt and pepper.
16. Pour into heated bowls and garnish with basil.
17. Serve at once. (Can also be frozen and served later.)

2 tsp. olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 tsp. chipotle powder (or 3 dried chipotle chilies ground in a spice mill)
1 tsp. cumin
2 cups vegetable broth (or water)
1 large garnet yam, peeled and diced
2 large zucchini, chopped
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1 14oz. can crushed tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
1 15oz. can No Salt Added pinto beans, drained
1 tsp. orange zest
1 tsp. lime juice
4 tbsp. cilantro, chopped, and more to garnish, if desired.

Heat olive oil on med-high. Add onion and sauté until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add chili powder and cumin and cook, stirring for one minute. Add vegetable broth and yams. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, until yam is softened. Add corn, zucchini, tomatoes with their juices, and beans. Cook, uncovered, for 10 more minutes, until chili thickens and yam is very tender. Stir in orange zest, lime juice and cilantro. Spoon into bowls and garnish with additional cilantro, if desired.

Serves 4.

Recipe taken from Pioneer Organics Healthy Home Delivery Newsletter, week of 11/08/04

250 calories, 6.6 grams of protein, 47 grams carbs, 4 grams of fat per serving (a recipe makes 4 servings)

African Yam Stew

4 cups vegetable broth

1 tsp. chili oil

1/2 chopped onion

3 cups diced yams

1 can canned chick-peas

1 cup uncooked quinoa
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup “The Heat is On” Spiced Peanut Butter

2 cups chopped collard greens
1 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon kosher salt

Saute’ onion in chili oil until soft. Add broth, yams, chickpeas, rice and salt; simmer for 30 minutes.

Blend peanut butter with 1/2 cup stock to make a smooth paste. Stir into the stew along with the greens and turn heat to low, allowing flavors to marry for 5 minutes.

Add salt, pepper, and additional chili oil or chili sauce to taste.

Serves 4-6