Winter: the dark side of fibro; healing soup

 

While others have been caught up in Star Wars mania, I have been caught up in the “fibro dark side” for the past two weeks. A fibro flare has eclipsed everything in my world. My brain has been off in some other galaxy while the rest of me has been functioning barely above the level of a speck of intergalactic dust.

It’s only been recently that I have labeled my relapses of health as “fibro flares.” It would seem more appropriate for them to be called “solar flares” because they may have something to do with the amount of sunlight our bodies receive during winter vs. summer. The change of season brings lessened light which may throw off our circadian rhythms or internal clocks, all of which may cause those of us with fibro to be more fatigued and achy. 

Okay, so my circadian rhythms are off. Is an intergalactic disaster causing my symptoms?  It might as well be. A fibro flare can be mind-numbing and overwhelming; you feel as if you’ve been hit by a truck in terms of muscle pain and stiffness. The fatigue and accompanying depression are so intense you cannot keep up with anything without an extreme act of will and determination (this, of course, doesn’t work well). Your interest in food wanes as your stomach bloats up like a giant beach ball. (Or is that an alien growing in there?)

Most fibro sufferers don’t know anything about circadian rhythms but they do know that once winter comes around and the weather changes, they feel much worse. Studies seem to back up that weather changes definitely influence fibro symptoms.

 A study in Norway found a relationship between fibromyalgia symptoms and the weather. Fibromyalgia symptoms appeared to get worse during the months of December and January, but began to improve during April and May. This suggests a direct relationship between colder temperatures and lower barometric pressures and a rise in fibromyalgia symptoms.

Another study done in Cordoba, Argentina, revealed similar results as the participants had greater pain as temperatures fell and atmospheric pressure increased.

Unfortunately, researchers do not yet know why weather appears to affect fibromyalgia symptoms so much. Besides changes in circadian rhythms, other possible influences may be changes in sleep patterns or increases in the number of pro-inflammatory cytokines which appear to be related to pain intensity.

I have found a few things that help:

• Get as much sunshine as possible. You may have to bring the sunshine into your house with a light box or special bulbs. Keep the blinds open when the sun is out.

• Do lots of deep breathing during meditation or easy stretching to remove toxins.

• Take soaking  baths in Epsom salts to help remove toxins and encourage healing.

• Try to reset your circadian rhythms by going on a 3-4 day cleanse.

A cleanse resets your body by decreasing inflammation and detoxing your body. It gives your system a break from the difficult task of digesting harder to digest foods and works with your body’s desire to renew and repair.

Tummy tamer chicken soup (single serving)

I decided my body needed a little nudge to get back on track and start healing by following a digestive cleansing diet. I have been giving this idea a try the past week. My diet has consisted of my tummy tamer chicken soup.

I have been on cleanses before but apparently forgot all the symptoms you can experience. Actually, I was already experiencing these symptoms which simply increased in intensity.

Headache

Fatigue, weakness

Light-headedness

Irritability, mild depression

Flu-like symptoms

Constipation, diarrhea, gas

I found taking a daily Epsom salt bath helped relieve these symptoms, and drinking lots of water and tea helped. The deep breathing with either meditation or easy stretching also was beneficial.

Tummy Tamer Soup for One

What you need:

1 cup homemade chicken broth (Make the broth following this recipe:http://catsinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2010/12/low-carb-turkey-with-vegetable-soup.html)

½ carrot cut in carrot curls or diced

½ small zucchini, diced or cut into noodles

1 handful spinach

1 stalk celery or bok choy, chopped

Pinch of salt and black pepper

Note: add other seasonings (tumeric, ginger) if desired

What you do:

Saute the vegetables in a little olive oil. Add all the other ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

 http://www.tessadomesticdiva.com/2015/12/allergy-free-wednesday.html
 http://vegetarianmamma.com/
http://www.fibrobloggerdirectory.com/

Coco-spice sauce

Sauted kale and veggies with coco-spice sauce

I just discovered the most delicious sauce. It's so good I think I could eat sawdust if it was covered with coco-spice sauce, suitable for ACD-Phase 1.

My coco-spice sauce was inspired by a recipe in The Plan by Lyn Genet-Recitas. You're going to love this stuff--either my version or her's.

Here's what you need:

1. 1 large red onion, chopped
2. Ground ginger, cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, black pepper (all to taste)
3. 1 cup coconut milk (unsweetened and low-fat) Note: Her version uses 1 can of full-fat coconut milk
4. 3-4 T. unsweetened sunbutter
5. Sea salt to taste

Here's what you do:

1. Saute the onion.
2. Transfer the onion to a food processor or Magic Bullet-like device.
3. Add the coconut milk, sunbutter and spices to your liking.
4. Pulse until blended and thick.

Now for the best part: drizzle this sauce on veggies of your choice or blend it into a soup, like Coco-Spice Broccoli Soup, below.

Coco-spice broccoli soup

Here's what you need:

1. 1 crown of fresh broccoli
2. 1 zucchini, sliced
3. 1/2 red onion, chopped
4. 1 batch of coco-spice sauce
5. handful of chopped cilantro
6. Salt and pepper to taste

Here's what you do:

1. Steam all the veggies until tender. Allow to cool, unless your food processor can handle hot foods.
2. Add the veggies and other ingredients to your food processor and blend until smooth or slightly chunky if you prefer.
3. Adjust seasonings to your preference.
4. Serve hot with a sprinkle of pumpkin seed and chopped cilantro on top.

Beet flax crackers and spaghetti squash crackers

Don't forget the crackers to go along with your soup or salad.

Here's what you need for Beet Flax Crackers:

1. 1/2 cup whole flax, soaked overnight
2. 1/2 cup ground sunflower seeds
3. 1 small beet, peeled and chopped
4. 1 green onion, chopped
5. 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
6. 1 T. cumin
7. salt and pepper to taste

Here's what you do:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with pan spray.
2. Add the veggies to your food processor and pulse to grind.
3. Toss in the other ingredients and pulse to blend.
4. Spread the mixture with your hands on the baking sheet. Make it about 1/4-inch thick.
5. Score the dough with a knife or pizza cutter to make rectangles.
6. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the crackers are crispy.

Get the recipe for the Spaghetti Squash Crackers here:
http://catsinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2013/02/game-day-grain-free-crackers-with.html

"If I win this tug-of-war, can I have some coco-spice broccoli soup? Yummy!"

Cold fighter soup and easy pumpkin frappuccino

Misha investigates a wheelbarrow of squash from the garden in search of the Great Pumpkin. Or is he searching for dog treats?

I'm up to my ears in squash and that's a good thing. Squash, such as pumpkin, is full of beta-carotene, which your body converts into vitamin A---and that helps create white blood cells to fight infection. So, eat more squash this cold season.

Another good thing to eat more of this winter is legumes which are loaded with immune-boosting iron and zinc, two nutrients that provide protection against infection by viruses and bacteria.
Legumes, such as beans, peas and lentils, also are good sources of vitamin B6, which aids in creating infection-fighting white blood cells, called lymphocytes. You can double your absorption of iron from legumes by combining them with foods that contain vitamin C.

Cold fighter soup with pumpkin and legumes

 

Here’s a recipe that I call Cold Fighter Soup. It's loaded with pumpkin and legumes as well as other veggies and almond butter. It’s easy to prepare and makes 4 generous servings. Leftovers store easily in fridge or freezer for future meals.

 

(suitable for ACD-phase 2)

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup of lentils (rinsed)
2. 1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into small pieces
3. 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
4. 1 large stalk of celery, diced
5. 1 cup diced pumpkin or other squash, such as butternut
6. 1 large zucchini, diced
7. ½ red pepper, diced
8. ¼ red onion, diced
9. 1 quart of vegetable broth
10. 2 T. unsweetened almond butter
11. salt and pepper to taste
12. Other seasonings: 1 tsp. cumin
13. 1 T. olive oil

 

Directions:

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add diced onion, carrot and celery. Saute until tender.
2. Add rinsed lentils and vegetable broth. Mix in seasonings.
3. Heat to boiling. Reduce to simmer and cook until lentils are soft (about 15 minutes)
4. Ten minutes before serving, add the other vegetables and cook until tender.
5. Finally, stir in 2 T. of unsweetened almond butter.

Get plenty of rest too so you can stay healthy this winter!

I'm also using up some of my pumpkin from the garden by making healthy and easy iced pumpkin frappuccino. It's good for your tastebuds, and healthier and cheaper than getting a frappuccino at your local coffee shop.

Iced pumpkin frappuccino

Ingredients:
1. 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2. 6 T. pumpkin puree
3. 1 tsp. cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
4. 1 tsp. vanilla
5. liquid vanilla stevia to taste
6. 1 tsp. Dandy Blend or instant espresso powder
7. additional almond milk as needed
8. Optional: 1/4 tsp. xanthum gum

Directions:
1. Combine items No. 1-5 and freeze as ice cubes.
2. When ready to make frappuccino, blend pumpkin spice cubes with Dandy Blend or coffee powder. xanthum gum and additional almond milk as needed.
3. Blend until thick and smooth.
4. Serve with coconut cream if desired.


Contributed to: http://www.dietdessertndogs.com/2012/10/18/wellness-weekend-october-18-22-2012/

Sun-dried tomato kale chips and soup

Misha "investigates" the grocery bags.

The canines continue their daily takeover of my kitchen. Do you think there is something they want in the kitchen? I'm a little puzzled. I think they are stalking me. Every time I go in the kitchen, there are my furry "little" (I say that facetiously) shadows.

Misha and Nika spar.

 Of course, even the would-be chefs have to reserve some time for play or are those teeth I see bared?

Misha and Nika take a break from "helping" out in the kitchen.

Actually, these two are BFF's as you can see in the picture above. Can you believe how quickly Nika, the one on the left, is catching up in size with Misha?

Sun-dried tomato kale chips

I have been working on trying to shed some extra poundage since November. I thought I was getting serious when I switched back to my strict low-glycemic diet at my health-care provider's urging to winter-proof me against a recurrence of candida. But alas, no poundage budged and some candida-related symptoms began to appear (stuffy nose, congestion, digestive problems).

I decided it was time to really dig in my heels. I have switched to a somewhat liquid diet in the form of smoothies and soups in order to detox my system and give it time to heal from my excesses (you know too many "healthy" cookie dough truffles).

I also make sure I have plenty of good-for-me snacks on hand to prevent over-indulging in something bad. That's why I continue to expand my kale chip recipe file. This week I tried Sun-dried tomato kale chips. My favorite soup of the week was Sunbutter Soup with Butternut Squash and Collard Greens. Recipes follow.

Sun-dried tomato kale chips

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, soaked in boiling water for a few minutes
2. 1 roma tomato, diced
3. 1/4 cup tahini
4. 1 T. Bragg's amino acids
5. 3 T. lemon juice
6. 2 T. olive oil
7. salt and pepper
8. 1 bunch kale, removed from stems and torn into small pieces

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
2. Wash and prepare the kale. Tear the kale into small pieces after removing from the stems.
3. Allow the kale to dry or blot with a paper towel.
4. Prepare the sundried tomato topping for the kale by placing all the ingredients, listed above, except for the kale in a food processor and blend until smooth.
5. Pour 2 T. of the sundried tomato topping on the kale pieces, placed in a large bowl. Toss with your hands to distribute the sauce evenly.
6. Spread the kale pieces on a large cookie sheet and place in the oven for 20-30 minutes.
7. Turn the kale pieces over and continue drying in the oven for another 15 minutes.
8. Allow to cool before storing in the fridge.
9. Note: there will be plenty of extra sundried tomato topping for several other bunches of kale.

Sunbutter soup with butternut squash and collard greens

Sunbutter Soup with Butternut Squash and Collard Greens (meat or vegan options)

Ingredients:

1. 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2. 1/2 yellow onion, diced
3. 1 cup butternut squash, peeled and diced
4. For meat version: 8 ounches boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into one-inch pieces
5. 1/2 cup unsweetened sunbutter
6. 1 cup collard greens, coarsely chopped
7. 2 stalks celery, diced
8. 1 carrot, peeled and diced
9. salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Combine the stock, onion, butternut squash, celery and carrot in a stockpot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add optional chicken, if desired. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the sunbutter and 1/2 cup soup mixture into a thick paste. Add the collard greens to the soup and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes to soften the collard greens. Stir in the sunbutter paste. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Makes 3-4 servings.

These recipes have been shared with: http://www.dietdessertndogs.com/2012/01/12/wellness-weekend-january-12-16-2012/

Cold avocado-spinach soup

Bailey's version of Where's Waldo?

Cold avocado-spinach soup

Can you find camocat, A.K.A. Bailey, in the photo above? He likes to play his version of Where's Waldo? On numerous occasions, I have searched high and low for Bailey only to finally find him playing camocat with Kona. The two are nearly a match colorwise. Sometimes you have to look several times to spot him nestled in the crook of Kona's body.

I remember when I was a kid growing up in sunny Southern California. We had an avocado tree in our yard and a backyard chicken, named Henny Penny, who always perched in the tree. Henny Penny had the opposite problem of Bailey. She was white and always easy to spot up in her avocado tree.

These days, the price of avocadoes has me wishing I had an avocado tree in my backyard. Avocado is one of the top twelve supermarket remedies to inhibit candida. It contains antifungal fatty acids and is low glycemic. Best of all, avocadoes are delicious!

Recently, I saw a recipe called Avocado Soup. It looked refreshing and yummy but needed some modifications for my diet. Here is my version.

Cold Avocado-Spinach Soup
(serves 2)

Ingredients:

1. 2 ripe avocadoes (reserve 1/2 of a whole avocado for garnish)
2. 1 cup unsweetened hemp milk (or other alternative dairy beverage of your choice)
3. 1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds + 1 T. for garnish
4. 1/4 cup chopped red onion + 1 T. for garnish
5. 3 cups fresh spinach leaves
6. salt to taste
7. juice of 1 lemon
8. 1 cup water

Directions:

1. Cut the avocadoes in half. Reserve 1/2 for garnish. Scoop out the meat of 1 1/2 avocadoes.
2. Place the avocado and other ingredients in a food processor.
3. Blend until smooth.
4. Serve in bowls garnished with extra red onion, pumpkin seeds and diced avocado.
5. Use any extra "soup" as a sauce or topping for tacos, pasta. It also makes a delicious salad dressing.

Get more healthy, delicious recipes at Weekend Wellness at http://www.dietdessertndogs.com/2011/08/11/wellness-weekend-august-11-15/ I know I have benefitted from all the great ideas/recipes shared here.

Low-carb turkey with vegetable soup

I love soup all year round but especially during the colder months. The problem is I can never find any at a restaurant or at the market that is suitable for someone, like myself, who needs to follow a low-carb diet and has multiple food allergies (dairy, gluten, corn, eggs).

That's where the old soup pot comes in handy. I can cook up my own "safe-for-me" soup and enjoy it to my heart's content. Recently, I made use of the leftover turkey carcass from Thanksgiving to make a low-carb turkey-vegetable soup. I confess I had never used the carcass before but decided to give it a go after one of my Thanksgiving dinner guests suggested it. There is a considerable amount of time involved with this recipe if you use a turkey carcass but it also can be made with leftover chicken and purchased chicken broth.

Low-Carb Turkey with Vegetable Soup

Step 1: Make the broth

1. Put the leftover bones and skin from either a turkey or chicken into a large stock pot. Cover with cold water by an inch. Add a quartered onion, chopped celery and tops, chopped carrot, parsley, thyme, a bay leaf and a few peppercorns.
2. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to bring the stock to a simmer. Add salt and pepper.
3. Cook for about four hours, uncovered so the stock reduces. Remove the bones and skin. Strain the broth if desired.

Step 2: Make the soup

1. Add chopped veggies of your choice. I added the sturdier veggies (celery, onions, rutabagas and carrots) first. Skip adding grains or noodles if you want this to be low carb.
2. Cook and simmer until the veggies are tender (approximately 30-45 minutes).
3. In the final 10-15 minutes of cooking, add green beans. I also could have added greens, such as spinach, chard or kale, at this time.
4. Serve with a salad.

Spring-Vegetable Soup

Spring is definitely here. I can tell because of the roller-coaster ride weather. Some days it's freezing; some days it's blowing and freezing; and some days it's warm and beautiful. Unfortunately, the warm and beautiful days are few and far between.

On those cold and windy days, I feel like it's still winter and reach for a bowl of soup. Spring-Vegetable Soup is delicious and fits my low-gylcemic eating plan. Hopefully, some day I'll be able to get my garden planted and start growing some of my own spring veggies for this soup. In the meantime, I'm not being a locavore with this soup.

I like this soup because it has lots of optional add-ins. You can add diced chicken for more protein, and 1 cup cooked quinoa and/or diced baked sweet potato for more carbs. I usually add some quinoa if I'm eating the soup for breakfast.

Spring-Vegetable Soup

Ingredients for 4 servings:

1/2 sweet or yellow onion, sliced

1 T. olive oil

2 zucchini squash, diced

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

3-4 cups vegetable broth

1/2 pound asparagus, cut into 1 or 2-inch lengths

3/4 cup frozen peas

Optional: diced chicken, 1 diced baked sweet potato and/or 1 cup cooked quinoa

1 1/2-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated

Directions:

In a large skillet, cook onion in olive oil. Add zucchini and saute until slightly soft. Add bell pepper and cook, 3 minutes more.

Add chickpeas and 3 cups broth to same pan. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Add asparagus, peas, ginger and other options. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until asparagus is crisp-tender. Add a little more broth. Spoon into your bowl and enjoy.

Mediterranean Curry Soup

Yoga is something I practice every day. I also "suggest," not nag, on a regular basis that my husband to do more stretching. My suggestions usually fall on deaf ears except on rare occasions as captured in the photo above. My husband has found a stretching partner, Kona, who likes to reward effort with lots of slups.

I enjoy getting "slups" from Kona too but I especially like getting her to warm me up as an extra big lap dog on a cold winter day. Another winter warm-up for me is a hot bowl of soup.

A recipe for a spicy, curry veggie soup caught my eye recently in a magazine while I was waiting for an appointment. If I could remember the recipe, I knew what I wanted to fix for dinner as soon as I got home. The soup ended up being delicious although it was more my creation since I added chicken and couldn't recall all the ingredients.

Mediterranean Curry Soup

(serves 4)

1 cup chopped cooked chicken

2 T. olive oil

1/2 medium chopped onion

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp. fresh grated gingerroot

1 zucchini, diced

1/4 head cauliflower, chopped into small bite-size pieces

1 carrot, diced

1/2 cup garbanzo beans

Optional: chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

1/2 tsp. cumin seeds and coriander seeds, toasted

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. cardamon

1 tsp. Indian curry

1 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. coriander

salt and pepper to taste

4 cups vegetable broth (Imagine makes a good one without added sugar.)

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Saute the garlic, ginger and onions until soft. Add the zucchini, carrot and cauliflower and continue sauteeing until tender. Toss in the spices, salt and pepper to taste, and stir. Add the chicken, garbanzo beans and the broth, and heat to a simmer. Garnish the soup with toasted seeds and chopped cilantro and serve.

Note: I really like the spiciness of this soup but feel free to adjust the amount of each spice.

Pumpkin-Tofu Stoup

My latest challenge is having to go back on antibiotics again. For someone with candida, that would be the equivalent of being exposed to an especially virulent virus if you had a weakened immune system.



I guess I should be more positive because the antibiotics have knocked out the blood poisoning I had. But can you believe, this all happened because of cooking accident? I posted awhile back (10/24/09 ) about my run in with an exploding Pyrex baking pan. Glass shards shot everywhere including into my foot which produced a deep laceration.

Four weeks after the accident, my foot appeared to be pretty much healed when suddenly it swelled up and turned a deep purplish red around the area of the injury. Ice did nothing to stop the swelling, redness and of course, the pain. I was barely hobbling when I went to see the doctor the next day. The doctor seemed perplexed but the diagnosis was blood poisoning and the treatment was antibiotics. I didn't want to hear those words but once the red started going up my leg, I was glad I was taking antibiotics.

I decided to return to my anti-candida diet basics and give the candida absolutely nothing to thrive on while the antibiotics were busy killing off all my good bacteria. That might give me half a chance of not getting another candida overgrowth.

I have been grumbling all week about my foot but also about being reduced to just vegetables, lean protein and healthy fats once again. My complaining is mainly because I had finally gotten to the point on the anti-candida diet where I could loosen up a bit. In fact, last week, I wrote that my doctor had freed me from some the constraints of the ACD eating plan and told me to follow a low-glycemic diet.

Okay, I'm not going to complain anymore because six days after this all started I can finally walk on my foot again with minimal pain. There is no more swelling and redness, I can even wear a loose shoe for awhile.

I haven't really cooked anything yummy or delicious this week because I've mainly been eating salads with chicken or tofu sprinkled on top. I'm wishing I could cook up some Pumpkin-Tofu Stoup which I had the week before this all happened. Pumpkin, while shocked with beta-carotene and other great nutrients, is too high in carbs for me right now. I guess I will just drool as I post the recipe.

Pumpkin-Tofu Stoup (makes 2-3 generous servings)

Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil

1/4 cup chopped red onion

2 cloves minced garlic

1 tsp. minced fresh ginger

2 tsp. curry powder

1 1/2 cups peeled, cubed seeded pumpkin (I have several small pumpkins that I harvested from my garden that are just the right size.)

Optional: 1 zucchini and 1 red pepper diced

2 cups unsweetened, light coconut milk

1 pkg. extra firm tofu, cubed

1 T. Thai red curry paste (Use less if you can't take the heat.)

1 T. lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh cilantro for garnish

Directions:

In a large skillet or pot, saute in the oil the onion, garlic and ginger. Add the curry powder, Thai red curry paste, and pumpkin. Saute for several minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; cover and cook for 15 minutes. Add some vegetable broth or water if needed.

Add the tofu and optional zucchini and red pepper. Simmer uncovered for another 5-10 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and garnish with cilantro leaves. I'll be thinking of you while your enjoying this delicious stoup and wishing I were joining you.

Turkey Quinoa Soup

The really cold, stuck-in-the-house days of winter have arrived and so have my dreaded stomach problems. The last few days I've looked and felt like death warmed over or whatever that expression is. I've tried very hard this winter to follow my rotation diet and get plenty of exercise. Those are the only things that seem to help my stomach issues. I've also been trying a light box this winter and taking Vitamin D. The jury is still out on whether these help or not.

The past few weeks the temps have been below 30 degrees with a wind chill factor and I've been forced indoors to exercise. It's just not the same as getting outside. I also realize the importance of staying on a pretty rigid schedule for meal times. You know how some people can function just fine having erratic eating times. That's not me and I'm guessing if you have stomach problems, it's probably not good for you either. Anyhow, with Christmas and the holidays, meal times can get out of control a bit especially if you're invited to someone else's house. My conclusion is that's what contributed to my current state of stomach affairs---eating a little bit differently because of the holidays and restricted outdoor exercise. My advice: if you don't want to suffer the consequences, stick to your eating plan and meal times. Vary things as little as possible and you might have a chance of avoiding getting sick.

And of course, if you're eating out, make sure you know what's in everything. I almost learned this the hard way a few weeks ago. I was about to chow down on some delicious roasted chicken prepared by my host. I had mentioned earlier that I was intolerant of dairy products and that suddenly rang a bell with the cook who said, "I'm sorry but a basted the chicken with butter." I appreciated her alerting me and fortunately I had my back-up soup with me. Here's the recipe for my delicious back-up soup, also known as Turkey Quinoa Vegetable Soup.

Ingredients for soup: serves 8

1 T. olive oil

3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced

3-4 celery stalks, chopped

3-4 stalks of chard, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cups water

3 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa rinsed

2 cups leftover turkey or chicken cooked and diced

1-2 T. dry parsley

1-2 garlic gloves minced

1/2 tsp. coarse black pepper and sea salt

Roasted vegetables for garnish:

3-4 peeled zucchinis, cut into half moons

10 mushrooms, sliced

1 cup snap peas

2-3 yukon potatoes, peeled and quartered

Directions:

For the soup: in a large sauce pan, heat 1 T. of olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic to the heated oil and saute lightly. Then add the chopped veggies (except chard greens) to the heated oil and saute until veggies just start to brown. Stir in 2 cups of water and 3 cups of chicken broth and bring to a boil. Stir in the rinsed quinoa, the turkey or chicken, parsley, black pepper and salt. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low and cook for about 20-30 minutes.

For the roasted veggie topping: While the soup is cooking, prepare the roasted veggies. Toss all the veggies in a bowl with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on a sprayed roasting pan and place in the oven, heated to 400-425 degrees. Roast the veggies until slightly brown and tender.

Ladle the soup in bowls and top with a generous serving of the roasted veggies. Save the extras for your back-up plan meal.

Spicy Asian Sesame/Tahini Soup and Bad Allergy Days

I should consider it a good sign that my allergies are bothering me more than my stomach. That means that the antibiotics I took for my stomach may have actually helped. With the trees blooming, my allergies are a different story. I've been spending a lot of time in the reclining mode, kind of like my cat, Oreo, pictured right. My nasal passages and sinuses are so inflamed I'm only hungry for hot, spicy soup. I can't taste much of anything which explains why this soup is extra spicy.

Spicy Asian Sesame/Tahini Soup

(makes 2 large servings)

This soup is delicious even when you can't hardly taste anything.

Ingredients:

2-inch piece of fresh ginger, minced

Optional: 2 cloves garlic minced and 1/4 cup green onions, chopped

2 tsps. olive oil

2 cups chopped red cabbage

1 1/2 cups chopped kale

1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained

2-3 tsp. red curry paste (I actually used 1 T. The amount used depends on the brand purchased. I had Kitchen 88 red curry paste, and it wasn't as hot as some I've used before. My advice: add a little and taste. Then add more if you want it spicier.)

1 T. tahini butter

1 tsp. sesame oil

salt and pepper

3 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 cup plain rice milk (Coconut milk can be used if your stomach can tolerate it.)

1 T. fish oil

1 tsp. agave nectar

1 T. lime juice

quinoa or rice noodles to make 2 servings

2 cups cooked, tail-on medium shrimp

2 T. each chopped fresh basil and cilantro

Directions:

Prepare the noodles first, following package instructions. Reserve the noodles and get busy on the soup.Use a large pot. Saute minced ginger and garlic in 1-2 tsp. olive oil or other oil. Add chopped cabbage and kale and continue to stir fry until veggies become tender. Add a little chicken broth if needed. Slide veggies to side of pan and add red curry paste, tahini, sesame oil, salt and pepper and 1/4 cup chicken broth. Mix and heat, then stir with veggies. Add remaining broth, fish oil, agave nectar, lime juice, water chestnuts and shrimp. Add more red curry paste at any time if the soup is too wimpy. Stir and heat the soup enough to warm the shrimp. To serve, put some noodles in a bowl, top with soup, and garnish with basil and cilantro.