Top 20 Healing Foods- Broccoli

 

 

Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable, a member of the cabbage family, and one of the most potent anti-cancer foods.  The sulfur compounds in broccoli signal our genes to boost production of enzymes that detoxify cancer-causing compounds.  Eating broccoli regularly and you can slash your risk of cancer by as much as half. 

 

It is loaded with nutrients. One stalk has as much vitamin C as two oranges and as much fiber as a bowl of healthy breakfast cereal. It is a great source of non-dairy calcium, and is high in potassium.

BROCCOLI
Key Nutrients:
Anticancer compounds
Beta-carotene
Calcium
Fiber
Folate
Vitamin C

 

My favorite way to eat broccoli is steamed crisp and topped with Annie's Goddess Dressing.  If you haven't tried this delicious dressing yet, you're really missing out.  It's great on salads, roasted or steamed veggies, chicken, and on rice and other grain dishes. 

 

 

 

If you want something a little more exciting than steamed broccoli, give this creamy soup recipe a go.   It's made with pantry staples so you can probably whip some up without a trip to the store.  And I've been told that even broccoli haters love it! :)

 

BROCCOLI SOUP

 

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1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

2 (10 ounce) packages chopped frozen broccoli, thawed

1 potato, peeled and chopped

4  cups chicken or vegetable broth

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

parmesan cheese and chopped herbs for garnish, optional

salt and pepper to taste

 

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan, and saute onion and garlic until tender. Mix in broccoli, potato, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

 

With a hand mixer or in a blender, puree the mixture until smooth. Return to the saucepan, and reheat. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

Black Bean Soup in the Slow Cooker

I don't know that I'll ever become a vegetarian, though I have been very close in the past.  But then I'd go for a run and smell someone's BBQ and lose my resolve.  However, I do like to eat a few meatless meals each week.  It's easier on my wallet and easier on the environment.  This soup is hearty, full of protein and super filling.  And I promise you won't miss the meat!  Feel free to play around with the spices and give it your own twist.  Sometimes I like to throw some corn in at the end, and top with cilantro and sliced avocado.

It makes a large amount (about 10 servings) so it's great for a crowd.  Throw it together in the crock pot the next time you head out for a day of skiing or sledding and you'll have a nice hot dinner waiting for you.  It's especially good with a side of cornbread.  Just be sure to give yourself ample time to soak the beans.  You can soak them overnight or give yourself a couple hours before assembly and follow the directions in step one.

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1 pound dry black beans

1 1/2 quarts water

1carrot, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 large red onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, crushed

2 green bell peppers, chopped

2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1/4 cup dry lentils

1 (28 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoond ried oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 cup uncooked white rice

In a large pot over medium-high heat, place the beans in three times their volume of water. Bring to a boil, and let boil 10 minutes. Cover, remove from heat and let stand 1 hour. Drain, and rinse.

In a slow cooker, combine soaked beans and 1 1/2 quarts fresh water. Cover, and cook for 3 hours on High.

Stir in carrot, celery, onion, garlic, bell peppers, jalapeno pepper, lentils, and tomatoes. Season with chili powder, cumin, oregano, black pepper, red wine vinegar, and salt. Cook on Low for 2 to 3 hours. Stir the rice into the slow cooker in the last 20 minutes of cooking.

Puree about half of the soup with a blender or food processor, then pour back into the pot before serving.  If you have a hand blender, just stick it in the pot and blend until you get a consistency you like.  You want to have some chunks left!


http://allrecipes.com/recipe/beezies-black-bean-soup/detail.aspx

Curried Roasted Butternut Squash Soup



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This is a great fall soup.  I like it for a lunch or a light dinner with some crusty bread.  It's easy to make vegetarian by using vegetable broth rather than chicken.  Personally, I like the richness the chicken broth gives it.  You could use sour cream instead of yogurt if you like.  You could even prep the recipe, let the veggies cook down in the slow cooker and puree when you are ready to eat.  You can find the original recipe here.

 

1 butternut squash, halved and seeded

2 large onions, peeled and quartered

1 medium head garlic

6 c. vegetable or chicken broth

1bay leaf

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon mild curry powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Place squash halves and onion onto the prepared baking sheet. Wrap garlic in foil and set with other vegetables.

Roast in the center of the oven for 45 to 60 minutes, until the squash is tender. Remove from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Squeeze garlic cloves out of their skin like paste into a food processor. Scrape the flesh from the squash and place into the food processor along with the roasted onion. Puree until smooth. Add vegetable broth if necessary. Transfer the pureed mixture to a stockpot and stir in vegetable broth. Season with the bay leaf, brown sugar, curry powder, oregano, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in yogurt.

Remove bay leaf and serve hot. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.

Garden Lentil & Ham Soup

I mentioned in a previous post that Easter weekend was going to be our first weekend in a long time that we hadn't had visitors.  While it was nice to be with just my husband and kids, it also means I probably didn't need to buy a huge ham.  But what is Easter dinner without ham??  Needless to say we've been eating ham leftovers all week and everyone was hammed out.  So, I threw most of the leftovers in the freezer saving out a bit to make this yummy soup.  I threw in what veggies I had hanging out in the cripser and it turned out great!  This would be perfect with a nice crusty loaf of bread to soak up the broth.  It would be really easy to make this vegetarian; just omit the ham and use vegetable broth instead of chicken.

And a reminder, if you haven't been to my facebook page check it out here!  I'll be doing a giveaway when I reach 100 likes, so tell your friends :)

1 c. dried lentils
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
1 container grape tomatoes, whole
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. diced cooked ham
1/2 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
5 c. chicken broth
1 c. water
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2-3 c. fresh baby spinach
a splash of lemon juice or hot sauce (optional for serving)

Put the chopped ham into a large saucepan over medium high heat and begin to brown. This should render enough fat to brown the veggies in.  You can add a little olive oil if you need to if things get sticky.  Add the onions, carrots, and bell peppers.  Cook for a few minutes until they begin to soften, then add garlic.  Cook another two minutes.  Add remaining ingredients, except spinach.  Bring to a boil, then turn heat down and simmer at least 40 min. until lentils are cooked.  This can stay on the stovetop simmering for quite some time, or even in the slow cooker (11 hours on low).  Add the spinach a few minutes before you are ready to eat.  Top with any lemon juice or hot sauce to taste.

Northwest Salmon Chowder

It has been sooooo grey, cold and windy here!  The thing I miss most about the winter since we moved to Eastern Oregon from Portland is the green.  No matter the time of year it is lush and beautiful, even if it's constantly drizzling. 

Can't you just SMELL the green!

Here in the Eastern half of the state it is grey, the trees have no leaves, the sky is overcast.  It rains, but the rain only brings things to life in the spring.  For now we wait.  It's hard not to get down this time of year without even a dusting of snow to lift my spirits.  So, in the name of cold dreary winters in the Northwest, I bring you comfort food- Northwest Salmon Chowder. 

Now since I am on a single-income budget, fish is not something I tend to buy unless it comes in a can.  I  would suggest buying the little cans of salmon that look like tuna cans.  NOT the large ones, unless of course you want to spend half an hour picking out bits of bone, skin and gelatinous fat.  I made that mistake once and will never do it again!  The salmon in the tuna-sized containers is nice and clean, ready to throw into your soup pot.  If you want to use fresh salmon, by all means, do!  Just cut it into bite-sized pieces and add to the soup, being careful not to stir too hard and break up the pieces.
I like this with a nice crusty french bread from the bakery and oyster crackers. 

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1/2 c. each chopped celery, onion and green pepper
1 garlic clove
3 Tbsp. butter
14 oz. chicken broth
1 c. peeled and diced potatoes, raw
1 c. shredded carrots
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4-3/4 tsp. dill weed
1 can creamed corn (14.75 oz.)
2 c. half-and-half
15 oz. canned salmon, or fresh cut into cubes

In a large pot saute the vegetables and garlic in butter until tender.  Don't overcook the garlic or it will become bitter.  Add the broth, potatoes, carrots and seasonings.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 40 min. until potatoes are tender.  Stir in the corn, half-and-half and salmon.  Simmer gently for 15 min. until heated through.  If using fresh fish, test for doneness before serving.

Baked Potato Soup

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This is a great soup for warming you up on a cold evening, and also a great way to use up leftover baked potatoes.  When I don't have leftovers I just "bake" my potatoes in the microwave and they work just great.  The thing I love about this soup is that it keeps a soupy consistency even when it's reheated.  It seems like other potato soups get soooooooo thick the longer they sit that you no longer have soup, you have a clumpy glob.  A tasty glob, but a glob none the less :) 

Also, the original recipe called for bacon that you fry and crumble to put on top of the soup as a garnish, using the fat to cook the onions.  We don't eat much bacon around here and I don't like buying a whole package of bacon for a few strips.  When we do eat bacon it's usually when we have family visiting.  At those times I'll save the bacon fat from the pan in a small freezer container and then I can just pull out a tablespoon or two when I need that flavor in the recipe without having to deal with all the extra bacon.  So, long story short, if you like bacon and have it in your house, by all means fry some up and throw that in the soup!  Otherwise, save some next time you have company and you'll be ready to go anytime you need a little bacony goodness. :)

4-1/2 bacon strips, diced (or skip this and use reserved fat, see above)

1-1/2 small onion, chopped

1-2 stalks celery, diced

1-1/2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup and 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1-1/2 teaspoons dried basil

3/4 teaspoon pepper

4-1/2 cups chicken broth

3 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed

1-1/2 cups half-and-half

3/4 tsp. hot sauce (I like Tapatio brand.  It doesn't have that sharp vinegar flavor that Tobasco has)

Optional toppings:

crumbled bacon from above, hot pepper sauce, shredded cheddar cheese, minced chives, sour cream.

In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings (or skip this step and use reserved bacon fat). Set bacon aside. Saute onion, celery and garlic in the drippings until tender. Stir in flour, salt, basil and pepper mixing well till flour is golden. Gradually add broth, stirring with a whisk to break up any chunks of flour. Bring to boil, stirring for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, half-and-half and hot pepper sauce; heat through but do not boil- it will curdle. Garnish with bacon, cheese, sour cream and chives to your liking.

Serves 6               

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is another great recipe I turn to time and time again.  Aside from the chicken it's made up of stuff I always have on hand in my pantry, it's super fast to throw in the slow cooker on a busy morning and is healthy and hearty at the same time.  Perfect for this time of year when we're trying to get back into our skinny jeans after two months of holiday festing, but still want satisfying comfort food.  I hope you like it as much as we do!

recipe and photo source

1 pound shredded, cooked chicken (a store-bought rotissere chicken is great!)
1 15 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
1 10 oz. can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 4 oz. can chopped green chile peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 14.5 oz can chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 10 oz. package frozen corn
broken up tortilla chips.

*optional toppings: avocado slices, chopped cilantro, sour cream, hot sauce, whatever you like!

Simply throw everything but the chips in your slow cooker and turn her on.  Cook on low 6-8 hrs. or high 3-4 hours.  When you're ready to eat, ladle soup into bowls, top with tortilla chips and any other toppings you want.  Ole!