The Cleansing Properties of Soup

Hands up everyone who is fed up reading about the cleansing properties of soup! A good soup has always offered nutritional perfection in a bowl (a phrase I started to champion some considerable number of years ago but I am certainly not about to claim as my own as the Imperial Physician to the Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty beat me to it around 800 years ago!)

A truly cleansing soup takes time and patience, requires the very freshest of organic ingredients (and yes, you have to grind your own fresh herbs and spices) and is definitely what I would call a labour of love but if you are that patient person who has the time - go for it!

Alternatively, you may simply decide to get soup into your life on a more regular basis because it is delicious, nutritious, warming, comforting, satisfying, easy to transport, often very quick to prepare and there is no limit to the varieties you can concoct once you become a dedicated soupaholic!

If you find yourself debating the cleansing properties of juices versus soups - don’t! My advice is to mix it up and enjoy both. Despite what you may have read, juicing is not ‘out’ whilst soup is ‘in’, that’s just media and marketing hype. The bottom line is that the more vegetables you get into your day the better for health and wellness (aim for 7 and don’t beat yourself up if it’s only 5). And don’t forget to add 2 or 3 fruits into your juices and soups or have them as a snack with a handful of fresh nuts which deliver cracking good levels of protein and healthy fats.

If you are feeling a bit sluggish or suspect you are at risk of going down with one of the rather many viruses that seem to threaten us at this time of the year, have a go at my soup and juice clean up for a few days and benefit from the outstanding properties of both.

The Wonderful World of Pulses

Are you up to speed with the fact that 2016 is the Year of Pulses? The United Nations determined that this should be the year "to heighten awareness of the nutritional benefits of pulses as part of sustainable food production aimed towards food security and nutrition".

And, here are just a few of the many reasons they are rightfully regarded as super foods from a health and weight maintenance perspective:

• rich in vitamins and minerals

• excellent source of plant protein

• high in both soluble and insoluble dietary fibre

• improve blood sugar regulation

• help to control hunger and appetite

• rich in protective plant chemicals

• contain valuable amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids

The general recommendation for improved health, protection against disease and weight management is 4 to 8 cups (800 to 1600g) per week and the huge variety of beans, peas and lentils available to us makes including them in our daily diet a bit of a no-brainer.

NB: IF YOU ARE A PULSE-VIRGIN, GO SLOW IN THE EARLY STAGES TO AVOID 'WINDY' EPISODES! YOUR DIGESTIVE SYSTEM WILL SOON GET USED TO THEM IF YOU PERSEVERE... 

Try some of my soups, stews and salads to get you onto the pulse-road (click on the images to download the recipes) and please send over any delicious concoctions that are already part of your regular diet so we can all share in the year of pulses experience! 

adzuki bean soup

black bean soup

omega 3 salad

lamb and bean soup

pea and ham soup

smoked haddock and white bean soup

aromatic lamb stew

lentil and bean salad

A Savoury Twist on Pancake Day!

The English dictionary tells us that a pancake is a thin, flat, round cake made from a mixture of flour, milk and egg, fried on both sides but I’m happy to note that cooks around the world, both professional and amateur have been enthusiastically playing around with this loose definition and creating all manner of ways to take pancakes to greater heights of deliciousness!

I’m going savoury this year and have already tried and tested some great recipes posted by some of my all-time favourite food bloggers and cooks whose passion for pancakes is in no way impeded by their resolve to take a healthier approach whilst still delivering dishes that look and taste seriously-good!

 

Angela Coleby from Divalicious Recipes offers up Spinach and Chia Pancakes using coconut flour which are gluten free, low carb, vegetarian (and very, very moreish!)

 

Tieghan Gerard at Half Baked Harvest gives us Rava Dosa (Indian Crepes) with Squash and Tomato Chickpea Masala which involve quite a number of ingredients but the whole prepping and cooking procedure doesn’t take long and trust me, if you are entertaining on Pancake Day/Night, there will be plenty of happy faces around the table!

 

Kimberley Hasselbrink at The Year in Food has come up with some fabulously-delicate Chickpea Pancakes with Smoky Roasted Carrots which (and I am more than happy to quote her here) “are addictively good, deeply savoury and nutty”.

Jamie Oliver rarely disappoints and if you haven’t tried his Healthy Cheese and Corn Pancakes with Smoky Bacon and Caramelised Bananas, don’t waste any more time deliberating - breakfast time, lunchtime or any time - these are pukka pancakes!

Add Some Soup to Your Chinese New Year

To maintain overall good health, the Chinese regularly sup soups and broths - either on their own or before a meal. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) focuses on keeping balance within the body and herbs and spices plus the broth created from hours of cooking meat bones are just one of the many principles it champions.

In the West, we take rather many liberties with traditional Chinese cooking but nevertheless, we are enthusiastic fans and have, over the decades, learned a lot from their food culture and increasingly relish the health benefits of a nutritious and delicious broth. So, with the greatest respect to their age-old doctrines and in a bid to share (albeit from a Western perspective) in the Chinese New Year celebrations this year, why not try my light, quick, easy and warming Duck Broth with Egg Noodles and Bok Choy.