Recipe for Vegetable Broth Powder

In the U.S., you can find organic vegetable soup cubes, and in the bulk department of your local health food store you can usually find vegetable soup broth powder, dried vegetables or dried vegetable flakes.  At Lake Chapala, Mexico,  it is sometimes difficult to find vegetable broth powder (or cubes) without MSG. (You can drive into Guadalajara and go to the Palacio de Hierro store, located to the side of the department store in the mall Plaza Andares, but they are a bit expensive.) So I usually bring with me a bag of dried vegetables from North Bay Trading Co.  http://www.northbaytrading.com/ and make my own vegetable soup broth powder. While you’re on their website, check out their soup mixes: 32 Bean + 8 Vegetable, Spicy Southwestern, Minnesota Grown Wild Rice Soup, Organic section, and many other products. They are a high quality, family-run business -- nice people.)

Vegetable Broth Powder

Ingredients:

• 1 part dehydrated vegetable flakes or dried vegetables       
• 3 parts nutritional yeast
• 1/2 part onion powder
• 1/4 part garlic powder
• 1/4 part italian seasoning
• 1/2 part dried parsley

Directions:

Put all ingredients in  a food processor or a blender and pulverize to a fine powder. Store in airtight container.

Use 1 tbsp of broth powder for every  cup of water.  Add salt to taste.

Potato Leek Soup

Leeks are those elongated, layered, root vegetables in the onion-garlic  (allium) family.  I remember learning about a lot of new, strange-looking foods at my mother's table, but, as far as I remember, even my Mom never made leek soup.  Leeks are a bit frightening when you first approach them, but once you learn how to clean and cook them, (and once you sample their subtle flavor!) they quickly become a preferred flavor in your meals. They offer a variety of vitamins (especially Vitamin K and A!), polyphenols and  minerals, and they are low in calories. Leeks possess a flavonoid, Kaempferol, which protects the heart.  High in the B vitamin, folate, leeks help to balance our levels of homocysteine, a factor considered to play a part in cardiovascular disease. If you are going to make a leek broth, you will want to wash the leeks, remove the toughest outer layer, cut the leeks in half lengthwise, wait 5 minutes (believed to enhance the nutrient value!), and then slice the halves again lengthwise several times, making it into a fan, so that it will cook quickly.  I think that the time to really clean the leek is after it is cut, but it may also remove some of the nutrient value.  All I can say is, if I separate the inner layers of the leek, I still find dirt, so soaking it after I cut is is my preference.  It is customary to use the lighter, white portion of the leek, cutting off the greener part. (At the farmer's markets in Paris, they will offer to cut the green ends off when you buy them.)  In Mexico, I use Microdyn (found at Costco and other stores in Mexico) in the soaking.  Microdyn is an inexpensive colloidal silver used as a sanitizer. There is also a Sam's version of this in Mexico, but I haven't seen this product in the U.S., so I usually take some with me when I go to the U.S. 

 

I think you're going to love this soup! It's a favorite in our house.

Potato Leek Soup

By Kathleen M. Gallier

Preparation:

Peel and coarsely chop into 1- inch cubes:

            Potatoes – 3-4 pounds

Cut into halves lengthwise, chop into ¼ inch slices and then wash:

            Leeks – 2 (white parts only)

Dice:

            Onions 1-2 medium to large (1 lg. is usually enough)

Mince:

            Garlic, minced – 1 tsp.

Peel and finely chop:

            Carrots – 4

            Celery Stalks – 4

Instructions:

In large soup pot, over medium heat:

Oil – 2 TBSP

Add onions, garlic, leeks and sauté until translucent.

(Note: if you are in a real hurry, omit the sauté and the oil, and just toss everything in to boil.  It's even lower in calories that way and still tastes exquisitely delicious.)

Add to this:

            Potatoes, carrots, celery

            Cold or room temp. water – 7 cups, or more -- enough to cover ingredients.

Bring to a boil on high heat and then add:

            Parsley – 1 tsp. dried or 1 TBSP fresh

Sea Salt - 1 tsp.

Lower heat to simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are quite soft and vegetables are tender (about 30 minutes).

If time, set mixture aside to cool.

Puree the mixture until smooth, in batches that your food processor will hold.

Return the pureed soup to the pot and gently reheat.

Adjust the seasonings.

Add freshly ground pepper to taste.

Add water or soymilk if mixture is too thick for your liking.

Serve at once.

Serves 8 to 10 people.

 

Why those Strange Green Javelins are So Good for You or, Asparagus: the Vitamin K Vanguard

In California, the first wave of the spring asparagus crop is upon us. If you’ve never cooked your own fresh asparagus, just looking at those aggressive little spears perched in your grocery display you might never be tempted to buy and cook them. But if you know the taste of freshly steamed asparagus, along with the plethora of health benefits it offers, you’ll never pass up a fresh bunch. Asparagus, believed to have originated in the Mideast, is a member of the lily family and is grown today in many parts of the world. Only 20 of its 300 varieties are edible.

Aside from its flavor, asparagus abounds in nutritive value. One cup of asparagus has only 43.2 calories, yet contains 114.8% of the daily value of Vitamin K (91.8 mcg). This vitamin performs a myriad of functions that benefit the coronary system. When you are cut, it is Vitamin K that initiates the healing process as it slows and stops the bleeding. Vitamin K helps the body absorb calcium preventing loss of bone density known as osteoporosis, prevents hardening of the arteries preventing heart disease and heart failure. Recent human trials suggest that it may be a preventive and treatment for many kinds of cancer. Asparagus contains folate which is also vital for healthy heart function and for DNA synthesis (thus preventing birth defects), and inulin, a carbohydrate which feeds the good bacteria in your colon. Other nutrients contained in asparagus include Vitamin A, C, many B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, and B6), manganese, copper, phosphorous, potassium and protein. Asparagus does contain purines, so if you have gout or a tendency to form kidney stones from uric acid, you may want to limit or avoid asparagus.

How To Prepare

Store asparagus in the dark back corner of the refrigerator with the bottom wrapped in wet paper towels. Eat asparagus within one or two days of purchase. Snip off a bit of the woody base before cooking. My favorite way to prepare asparagus is steamed, served with a lemon vinaigrette (See recipe below.), but you can also sauté it or roast it (alone, or with other vegetables such as garlic, summer squash, Portobello mushrooms, beets, etc.) If you’re in a hurry, and have no time to make a vinaigrette, just squeeze lemon juice over the asparagus, towards the end of steaming. It makes a great addition to a pasta dish tossed with olive oil, and your favorite Italian spices, or served beside protein cutlets such as soy, seitan or bean cutlets. Asparagus can be eaten hot or cold.
RECIPE FOR LEMON VINAIGRETTE
1/3 cup olive oil
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
3 cloves of garlic, pressed
1 tsp each oregano, basil, and thyme
½ tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper
Wisk ingredients together, zigzag over steamed asparagus. Store leftover cold.