soup that heals.
More appropriately named a soup that feels healing.
Since my last post spilling everything about what I've been going through and feeling, I haven't been doing too great. I wouldn't quite say that my symptoms have gotten worst, but they've definitely taken a turn in a different direction that still leaves me in discomfort and frustration.
The current parasite regime that I'm on had been treating me just all right. There weren't any amazing days, but there also weren't any terrible days (except when I was supposed to take the prescribed "week break" from the herbs). Then sometime around last week I was just having bad days. My belly was always somewhat bloated and it was a miracle if I went to the bathroom. I know it hasn't been 3 months, but my frustration was getting the better of me considering I don't believe I am improving. It's either stagnation or just a yo-yo of good and bad and nothing else.
If this is a parasite (and I damn well hope it is because of the investment I've put towards this path), I decided I was going to revisit another idea that I had put at the waist-side: diatomaceous earth. I had already read dozens and dozens of articles on what it was and it's uses because a friend introduced it for me for my cat. So I don't have to poorly explain the details, read about diatomaceous earth here. If you don't click on the link, long story short: DE is ground up fossil shell flour that, at a microscopic level, is so sharp and jagged it will cut the exoskeleton of any bug/insect/pests. Basically it gets caught on them, cuts through their body and dries them out to death. Fascinating.
Before I started using it for my cat's ear mites, I took some orally via vegetable capsules and was totally inconsistent about it. I wrote it off as a cool idea that wasn't really helping. It wasn't until my cat's ear mites got so bad and neglected that I decided to give the DE a go again. I read that you externally dust the outside of the ears and when the mites crawl out that's when they get hit. The only catch was that I had to be super consistent for at least a month. Lo and behold, it works. Her ears are no longer scabby and miserable. I know it may sound silly considering I am a human and she is a cat, but if I truly have a bug, why shouldn't this work on my insides?
So today is day 3 with the DE and while I don't feel great, I feel better. So far less bloating and that already to me is a huge positive.
Anyways this has nothing to do with soup I realize, but is still relevant to where I was going. My other friend, a nutritionist, was telling me how beneficial a brief soup diet/cleanse would be for my digestion - kinda seems obvious but not something that ever crossed my mind. And so for the past two days I've been incorporating blended soups in my diet and I'm not complaining, hence this recipe.
As always I was able to scrounge some cheap veggies from the Berkeley Bowl & Bi-Rite that have just been sitting in the vegetable crisper and needing a destiny. Thus this creamy broccoli-kale soup came to fruition. I get this soup very creamy with the addition of walnuts, but smooth because of a vitamix. If you don't have one, no worries! Just use a regular blender or food processor - they still provide great results.
Broccoli | Kale | Walnut | Soup
Makes around 2 quarts
1 medium head broccoli, stems and florets cut into pieces
1 small bunch kale, stems removed (about 3 cups)
1/2 yellow onion, roughly chopped
3-4 cloves garlic
2 tsp whole fennel seeds
juice of 1/2 lime (or 1 whole lime if its not too juicy)
2 bay leaves
1" piece galangal (baby ginger) or 1/2" mature ginger, chopped
2 tbsp neutral cooking oil - I use coconut or grapeseed
3/4 cup walnuts, soaked in water for 1+ hours
2 tbsp sweet white miso
salt
freshly ground flax seed (for garnish)
First start by getting a medium stock pot on the stove over medium high heat. Add the cooking oil, the onions, and bay leaf, and get everything sizzling. Add a tsp or so of salt to draw some moisture out. There's no need to brown and caramelize, just soften. Add the whole garlic cloves and the fennel seeds and continue to cook. If and when things get a little sticky, add the lime juice to de-glaze the pot and add some moisture to the mix.
When the onions look more translucent, go ahead and add the broccoli and kale. Mix everything thoroughly and add a tsp more of salt. *Do not over season while cooking because the miso will contribute a lot of sodium.*
After 5 or so minutes, add 3 cups of water, put the lid on and bring everything to a boil. Once boiling remove the top, lower the heat and mix everything around. The idea is to make sure the broccoli is close to soft and the kale is tender so it's all easy to digest. If the soup has reduced significantly, it's okay to add 1-2 more cups of liquid and bring to a boil. Add the walnuts and the galangal so they heat up, but don't get too cooked, 2-3 minutes.
Remove soup from heat and add to blender - this may be in parts. Add the miso in as well (you do not want to over heat the miso as to kill all of it's living fermented benefits) and blend until very smooth.
Serve into bowls and garnish with a sprinkle of flax seed if this wasn't healthy enough!
