Fresh Tomato, Lemon, Leek Soup

I have a friend that had surgery last week, so as part of her nutritional recovery I made this soup for her. All of the ingredients will provide her liver the ability to release some of the toxins naturally accumulated from the break down of anesthesia and the other medications being taken. The soup is also nourishing, so it will provide some nice energy for her recovery. Plus it’s delicious! It only takes about 15 minutes to make.

Makes 1 large or 2 smaller servings.
All ingredients are organic.

Soak 3 medicinal mushrooms (dried shiitake and/or maitake taste wonderful) in 1 cup almost boiling water.

Juice the following: (If you don’t have a juicer a blender can be substituted)

4 Roma tomatoes
½ Meyer lemon (or any lemon – the Meyer type is just extra beautiful)
2 cloves garlic
5 sprigs fresh thyme (if using a blender use only the leaves or a couple shakes of dry thyme)

Heat the fresh juice lightly on the stove top, but don't let it boil.

Add to the pot:

½ cup filtered water
soaking liquid from the medicinal mushrooms
1 leek, cleaned and sliced

(Save the mushrooms to cook into something else for yourself).

Once it’s hot, serve and enjoy!

Thai Cabbage Soup

I recently watched someone open the refrigerator door, stand there and stare for a minute, close the door, and move onto their cupboards. With a bored look on their face, they ended up ordering take out. This is the memory I had when I opened my own refrigerator door this morning wondering what I was going to make.

I wasn't in the mood to be bored, so I found myself challenged to be creative and awesome with whatever I had – I was going to make something incredibly wonderful! And it was – so here it is to share with you. (Even my 2 picky eater kids loved it!)

In a food processor use the grater attachment to grate:
1 small cabbage
3 small potatoes, unpeeled
2 carrots
2 cloves garlic

In a soup pot, heat:
2 tbsp. coconut oil
2 tsp. olive oil

When the oil is hot, add 1 spoonful of Panch Phora (this is a great Indian food spice mixture that blends together fennel seeds, cumin seeds, brown mustard seeds, nigella, and fenugreek. Locally I get it at Summit Spice & Tea Co. in South Anchorage. If you can’t find it pre-mixed the single spices should be fairly easy to find.)
Once you can smell the spices, add the grated vegetable mixture from the food processor and lightly sauté for about 3 minutes – long enough to coat the vegetables in the oil and get them a little hot.

Sprinkle a little sea salt over the top, then add enough chicken or vegetable broth to barely cover the vegetable mix, turn heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 20-30 minutes.

Add 1 can of coconut milk and stir. Soup should smell heavenly exotic and have a creamy consistency. Serve topped with a spoonful of flax seed oil. When eating, try not to smile too much or make loud sounds of satisfaction that will leave your neighbors wondering what you're doing.

The cabbage is a great food to stimulate natural liver detoxification. The spices and the carrots have an affinity with the Earth element, as does the potato which – with the skin left on – provides both fiber and nutritious satisfaction. Coconut milk has many health attributes and contains lauric acid which is useful in strengthening the immune system.