Immunestrone - Shiitake and Kombu Broth for Building Winter Health

Are you staying warm out there?  It's below 0 on the mountain here -  
SOUPS ON - COME ON OVER- IT'S THE BEST EVER FOR FIGHTING OFF THE CHILL.

KNOW THE BENEFITS OF SHIITAKE- " Recent studies have traced shiitakes' legendary benefits to the active compound  called lentinan. Among lentinan's healing benefits is its ability to power up the immune system, strengthening its ability to fight infection and disease. Against influenza and other viruses, lentinan has been shown to be even more effective than prescription drugs; "

AND KOMBU -- Kombu contains enzymes that help to break down the raffinose
sugars in beans (the cause of excessive gas and bloating), increasing digestability.
Kombu also acts as an antidote to excess sodium consumption and it is known to
reduce blood cholesterol and hypertension. Kombu is high in iodine, potassium
and calcium, as well as vitamins A and C.

It will take you through the week and gets better tasting each day. Add other veggies you have on hand and customize this gem for yourself.  All veggies are immune building in some way.. adding the sea vegetable broth and shiitake ups the anti for you along with the cumin and ginger and cayenne.  If you don't have kombu, try another seaweed or use Chicken or vegetable broth. Add some steaming hot bread with Cabot's Seriously Sharp award winning Cheddar - and you have a winning combination.

IMMUNESTRONE ROOT AND VEGETABLE HERBS & SPICEY GOOD

Ingredients

Liquid

8-10 cups of shiitake and Kombu Broth

2 TBSP olive oil, ghee or butter

Vegetables

6-10 Shiitake Mushrooms

Two 4-6 inch pieces of Kombu Seaweed

1 large yellow onion cut into crescents

2 carrots cut in quarter moons

2 celery sticks diced

2 cups cauliflower cut up

One small bunch of finely chopped kale

1 carrot size Daikon Radish

Beans

1/2 –1 can of organic garbanzo beans (can use any favorite bean, lentil or rice)

Herbs/Spices

One 1/2 inch ginger root grated

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp of cumin seeds

A pinch of cayenne

1/2 cup chopped parsley

4 tbsp miso (barley or sweet brown rice or other variety or 1/2 of each)- adds salty taste

Tamari sauce to flavor

To Make: 

THE BROTH: Soak Kombu and dried or fresh Shiitake Mushrooms for 2 -3 hours or overnight in 8-10 cups of water

Remove mushrooms, de-stem, slice and saute with veggies in soup pot, discard Kombu

Building the Soup

1)    Sauté cumin seeds in olive oil or butter with onion crescents in heavy bottomed pot with a lid. 

2)    Stir in the ginger for a minute then add the garlic

3)    Add carrots, celery, shiitake mushrooms,cauliflower, kale greens, and cayenne, stir

4)    Add  seaweed/Shiitake Broth to the pot 

5)    Bring to a simmer with lid on until carrots are soft

6)    Meanwhile, open and rinse organic garbanzo beans/or your lentils or other beans and add to simmering pot

7)    Add Daikon radish pieces during simmer and do not boil.  Boiling destroys beneficial nutrients in Daikon

8)    Take about a cup of broth out, stir in miso, then add back into soup but do not let boil  (this serves as a replacement for salt and provides many beneficial nutrients that will be also be destroyed if boiled again).

9)    Add Tamari sauce to adjust flavor—also provides saltier taste.

Get a free 1/2 hour Health Consultation - 
Contact me at 

MarieFrohlich@gmail.com

Share with a friend - enjoy!

Marie Frohlich, HC

www. MarieFrohlich.com
More soup recipes at: Cabot Creamery Cooperative and 
The Herb Companion and The Daily Green

Staying Healthy and Energized this Winter

Over the past month I have shared winter health and healing tips on the radio, developed some special herbal tinctures for my clients and family and sampled some of them at my first Farmer's Market Fair.

What do you do to keep healthy in the winter? I double my water intake to combat dry skin from wood heat and cold air - get outside and walk, build core energy with rooted vegetables and beans, lots of soups and greens and fermented foods. I also take Chaga every day.

At the Barre’s Farmer Market Holiday Fair, I asked each person that stopped by what they do to stay healthy over the winter.

Here is a sampling of their answers--

“ Change my sheets” said one scruffy customer with a smile.

“ Walk my dog no matter the weather”

“ I walk one and one half hours every day, no matter what!” and “I wish I had someone to walk with me.” quipped a very old but spry woman.

“I sit in traffic and stick out my tongue as far as it will go – and then laugh and giggle at myself. A nurse told me it releases any toxins from the back of my tongue.” Wow.. had never hear that one.

Vermont Vitality! Winters up here really do push us outdoors - a critical time to keep the blood moving, body warm and immunity up. Quite a few folks shared that although they were walking and hydrating, they still had trouble with keeping their energy up. Here is a health and immune boosting recipe for those days when you need an extra zippity-do-dah.

My Holiday No-Bake Bon Bon Recipe

¾ Jar of Almond butter

½ cup of Rice Syrup

Chop/blend ½ cup currents, walnuts together

Add cocoa powder, licorice root powder and ginger powder to taste

If available, add some Guarana seed powder (not much) for a touch of slow releasing caffeine

Roll into quarter size balls in unsweetened coconut flakes.

Keep handy for those mid afternoon yawns.

Next post - addressing energy zapping stress!