3 Immune-Supporting Soups For The Winter Blues

The practice of using soup to aid good health goes way back in time. Believe it or not, your grandma wasn’t the first to recommend a hearty chicken soup to combat your flu. In fact, 16th Century Paris ushered in a new era of public restaurants, and the first thing on their menus was… you guessed it: soups! Whether broth, stews or bouillon were served, the restaurants –named “restoratifs” (meaning a place to restore) — were the birthplace of the modern restaurant today.

Today, we seem to have perfected the art of soup, and beyond a wide range of delicious tastes, soup is also notorious for its gentleness on the digestion as well as its healing properties. Let’s face it, how often can you get 15 ingredients in one meal sitting?

January gives us a couple of extra reasons to love soup. Firstly, it’s National Soups Month (yes, that’s a thing!) And secondly, ‘tis the season to get sick. So we dug out our favorite immune-supporting soup recipes that might help ward off the evil flu or, at the very least, help you through it.

CHICKEN SOUP (WITH A TWIST)

It’s not new news to announce that chicken soup is not just good for the soul — it’s good for your body too. But did you know that it’s the broth component of chicken soup that contributes to its healing properties? This particular recipe features all the goodness of traditional chicken soup, just with a little ginger and curry kick.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery ribs, sliced
• 1 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into slivers
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-1/2 teaspoon curry
• 4 cups LonoLife Chicken Broth
• 2 cups of water
• 1 pound cooked chicken, shredded
• scallions for garnish
• fresh cilantro for garnish

Instructions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot.
2. Add the onion, carrots, celery & ginger and cook for 6-7 minutes or until onion is soft and translucent, stirring occasionally.
3. Toss in the garlic, and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the curry powder, chicken broth, and chicken and stir to combine.
5. Continue to cook until the soup reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover with a lid, and let simmer for about 20 minutes.
6. Garnish with scallions and cilantro.

(recipe adapted from The Harvest Kitchen)

MUSHROOM MAKE-ME-BETTER SOUP

Mushrooms are a powerhouse when it comes to goodness. They are a great source of fiber and protein and are packed with vitamins and minerals. This soup uses a mushroom broth then loads up with some other great players to keep you in tip-top shape.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 celery stalks, sliced
• 1 lb shitake mushrooms
• 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 12 cups water
• 4 heads baby bok choy, bottoms chopped off
• 1/2 head kale, chopped
• optional: 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

Instructions:

1. Chop off the bottom of the stem from your mushrooms and discard. Separate stems from tops and slice tops and remaining stem if necessary, into large pieces. You will only discard the very bottom of the stems, not the full stems as they contain many nutritional benefits!
2. Heat up coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat.
3. Include onions and sauté for 5 minutes or until translucent.
4. Add in garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
5. After that add in celery and mushrooms and sauté for about 10 minutes or until mushrooms have wilted.
6. Add in spices (including ginger, if using) and water and bring to a boil.
7. Then let simmer, covered for 1 hour or as long as you want (the longer you leave, the better!)
8. Add bok choy and kale in the last 10 minutes of cooking to wilt.
9. Serve warm or store for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.

(recipe courtesy of The Healthy Maven)

THE MEAN GREEN IMMUNE BOOSTING SOUP

As soon as someone says apple cider vinegar (ACV) and cayenne pepper, our ears prick up. Both amazing ingredients feature in this soup and offer a whole host of healthful benefits. ACV is said to lower blood sugar and cholesterol and kill bacteria along with multiple other actions. Cayenne peppers are known for their medicinal properties, and from boosting your metabolism to lowering blood pressure, their purported benefits are many.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 leek halved + sliced
• 4 carrots chopped
• 4 cloves garlic minced or grated
• 1-inch piece of ginger grated
• kosher salt + pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 quarts LonoLife Reduced Sodium Chicken Bone Broth
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup green lentils
• 4 cups roughly torn kale
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1/4 head purple cabbage shredded
• zest + juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley plus cilantro
• Parmesan for serving

Instructions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the leeks and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook another 30 seconds to 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cayenne, broth, soy sauce, and vinegar. Add 2 cups water and bring the soup to a boil over high heat. Stir in the lentils, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the kale, broccoli, and cabbage and continue cooking until the lentils and broccoli are tender, about 10-15 minutes longer.
2. Just before serving, stir in the lemon juice, parsley, and cilantro. Taste and season with more salt if needed.
3. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with vegan parmesan.

(recipe adapted from Half Baked Harvest)