Simple, Healthy Recipes

Delicious and Nutritious Soups 

Cook rice or pasta according to directions. 

Meanwhile, add the olive oil to a soup pot over medium heat. Add the scallions, garlic, mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook, strring often, until mushrooms are crisp-tender. Add the broth, stir, cover and bring to a boil over high heat.  Stir in kale. Reduce heat and simmer, until kale is tender.  

Divide cooked rice or pasta into bottom of soup bowls. Ladle soup into bowls and add diced tomato. Add crushed red pepper and parmesan if desired.  

Serves 6

Enjoy!

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Place the sausages in a medium saucepan with 1/2 c. water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and cook about 5 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking, stirring often, until water has boiled off and sausages are no longer pink. Remove pan from heat. 

Meanwhile, add all other ingredients to a soup pot, stir and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the sausages, reduce heat, cover, and boil gently, stirring occassionally, about 40 minutes, or until lentils are tender. 

Serves 8

Enjoy!

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Mushroom Barley Soup

This soup uses barley in it's whole grain, most nutritious form.
Not only does barley's fiber protect your heart by binding up bad cholesterol,
but it also adds bulk to aid in elimination and provides nourishment for the beneficial bacteria that live in the large intestine. Barley is also an excellent source of the antioxidants vitamin E and selenium. 

Read more about this nutty and nutritious whole grain here.

• 1 c. hulled barley, soaked in 3 c. water for 3 hours to overnight
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 T garlic, minced
• 1 large onion, cut into eight pieces
• 5 carrots, sliced
• 1/2 c. dried mushrooms, crushed to a powder
• 1 lb. mushrooms, sliced
• 8 c. vegetable broth
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 c. fresh herbs, such as parsley, thyme, or sage.

In a saucepan, bring the barley and 3 c. water to a boil. (You can use the water you soaked the barley in if you like.) Cover, reduce the heat and boil gently over low heat for about 35-45 min or
until the barley is tender. Set aside.

Add the oil to a soup pot over medium heat. Saute the onion and carrots about 5-7 minutes or until tender. Add the fresh mushrooms, dry mushroom powder, and vegetable broth. Increase heat and bring soup to a gentle boil for 10 minutes. 

Add the cooked barley and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh herbs just before serving.

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Carrot Ginger

 Soup

Recipe adapted from The Kripalu Cookbook. 

Ginger not only relieves motion sickness, and the nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, but it also contains gingerols, which are powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant substances. This may explain why people who have osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis,  and muscular discomfort have shown significant reductions in their pain levels when they consume ginger regularly. Ginger works by suppressing the pro-inflammatory compounds called cytokines and chemokines, which are produced by the cells in the synovial lining of the joints, joint cartilage and also by immune cells.

Read more about this spicy anti-inflammatory here. 

• 1 ½ cups sliced onions
• 1 sliced leek
• 1 ½ Tbs (or to taste) fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped
• 4 cups chopped carrots (5-6 large)
• 4 cups stock or water
• ½ Tbs. salt (or to taste)
• ½ tsp. black pepper (opt.)
• Dried herbs to taste (a mixture of cilantro, basil, thyme and parsley)
• (or ¼ cup chopped chives)

In a large pot, heat the oil and sauté the onion for 3-5 minutes or until translucent. Add ginger and sauté for 1 minute, and then add the sliced leek and sauté for another minute or two. Stir in the carrots and stock and bring to a boil. Add the salt. Reduce heat to simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 40 minutes (or less – basically until carrots are tender). Toward the latter part of cooking, add the dried herbs.

In a blender or food processor, puree the mixture until creamy. Return the mixture to the pot, reheat, and stir in the black pepper (opt.) (and chives, if using instead of the dried herbs).

Variation: If you want a creamy soup, you can add ½ cup soy milk or light cream at the time of blending.

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