There is one crucial component to this delicious and healthy soup — you must soak and boil your own beans and reserve the cooking liquid from the beans for your stock. This makes the soup creamy, delicious, and hearty. I've tried it several different ways and this is the way to go. Plus, it's economical and you avoid any nasty chemicals that may be present in canned beans and packaged broth (see my article in The Atlantic on obesogens for a bit on this and my book for all of the latest information).
Read MoreI make variations of this soup all winter since cabbage and potatoes are some of the only vegetables we can get locally. This last batch was especially good and I think it has to do with the technique of layering flavors throughout the cooking process. This is an extremely economical and easy meal.
Read MoreThis is an incredibly simple soup, but it tastes like you've been cooking it for hours. Truth is, you can make it from start to finish in less than an hour, so it makes a great weeknight meal. The most time consuming part of it is cleaning and chopping the leeks. People often tell me that they are intimidated by leeks and don't know what to do with them. Well, here is your answer! The easiest way to prep them is to chop off most of the green tops, slice them down the middle and rinse them well under cold water in the sink (save the green tops for your next Vegetable Mineral Broth).
Read MoreA hearty and nutritious soup, this recipe has infinite variations. Here's one to get you started — once you understand the basics of making your own soups you can create them with whatever you have on hand. This one came about after a trip to the farmer's market and contains many winter vegetables with some shaved Parmigiano Reggiano on top. For the stock, I used my Vegetable Scrap Mineral Broth.
Winter squash, particularly the darker-fleshed varieties, contain very high amounts of carotenes, which have been show to have a protective effect against many cancers, particularly lung cancer. Diets rich in carotenes are also protective against developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Winter squash like butternut, delicata, pumpkin, acorn and spaghetti also contain high levels of vitamin C and B1, folic acid, potassium, and fiber.
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