Winter Sunshine Soup

This recipe embraces our late winter season’s veggies, which provide us with the storage of energy we need to get through the last leg of this dark, cool season. This soup brings a little sunshine onto your dinner table and into your belly -a truly healthful winter tonic.

This soup has been adapted to include each of the super families of veggies (allium, cruciferous,and carotenoid). These veggie families provide excellent nourishment and healing support.

And remember to eat mindfully. Breathe between each mouthful, relax and take time to notice the flavours, textures, and the nourishment supporting your body. Observe the experience of nourishing your body and how good you feel doing so.

Winter Sunshine Soup (Adapted from ‘Healing with Whole Foods‘ by Paul Pitchford)

• 1 cup yellow split peas, pre-soaked for 8 hours in water
• 2 litres fresh, filtered water or, for more flavour and nutrients, use homemade or store-bought (tetra-pack) organic stock/broth (veggie/beef or poultry). *Also see Bone Stock recipe below
• 1 piece kombu (seaweed) soaked (5 inches)
• ½ yellow onion, chopped
• ½ leek, cut into thin rings
• 2 carrots, chopped into half moons
• 1 cup winter squash, mashed or cubed
• 1 cup broccoli stalks, cubed
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• ½ cup parsley chopped
• ¼ tsp unrefined salt
• Miso paste to taste, optional (best if using water and not broth)

1. Place kombu and peas into a pot with water (soak for approx. 8 hours to improve digestibility and access to nutrients within peas).
2. Drain remaining water from peas (much of the original water will have absorbed into the peas). Add approx. 1.5 litres of fresh water to boil in preparation for soup. *Use stock instead of water for more flavour.
3. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. (If you didn’t pre-soak the peas – they’ll need longer to soften.)
4. Add onions, carrots, squash and salt; simmer until peas and vegetables are tender.
5. Add optional miso, diluted in ‘stock’, and simmer 5 minutes more.

Serves 8 portions.

Chicken or Turkey Stock (Adapted from www.rwood.com)

* Raw or cooked poultry pieces or carcasses * White/cider/wine vinegar or organic wine

1. Place bones in a large pot, add water to cover and add 1 tablespoon of white or other vinegar or 1/4 cup wine for every 4-cups of water. (Don’t worry about using white vinegar as it will ‘boil off’ and it helps draw the minerals from the bones).
2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes with the lid off.
3. Skim off and discard any brown foam (soluble protein) that rises to the surface.
4. Add one large yellow onion, 3 stalks of celery, 3 carrots; coarsely chopped.
5. Partially cover and gently simmer for up to 24 hours.
6. When the stock is cool enough to work with, strain through a sieve or a double layer of cheesecloth reserving all but the dregs.
7. Refrigerate the stock, tightly covered, for up to one week. Chilled stock is quivery like pudding.

*To use the stock immediately, remove excess fat. Stock, as an energy tonic, also requires seasoning. Season to taste with salt and pepper (and, optional, a little powdered ginger or fresh ginger juice) and drink it hot. Or, use as a soup stock, in a sauce or instead of water when cooking grains.

Variations: Add any organicpoultry scraps (including organs, skin etc.), raw or cooked, to heighten flavor and nutrition. You can also make this stock with organic red meat bones such as beef, bison or lamb.

To increase the flavour: first roast the bones until browned, especially if there is any meat or fat on them.

To enrich with additional nutrients and flavour: during the last hour of cooking, add assorted herbs such as fresh parsley, rosemary, thyme, sage, or tarragon, as desired.

Bon appétit and stay warm, dry, rested and healthy!

Lisa Marie

Drop by InspireHealth for my free Nutrition Circle (IH members only) every otherThursday from 2:30-3:30pm (Next drop-in: Thursday March 10th).

Contact me for a personal nutrition consultation @ 604.714.4065 or lbhattacharya@inspirehealth.ca

Check out my nutrition blog at www.eatingitreal.blogspot.com for previously written healthy recipes and articles on eating healthfully.

*My upcoming holistic nutrition handbook/cookbook is currently ‘in the works’. If you know anyone who may be interested in helping fund a cookbook with a focus on ‘healing with food as medicine’, please contact me at the above email or phone number.