Golden Healing Soup
Serves 4
Ingredients:
25-30 garlic cloves (unpeeled)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) organic butter (grass fed)
½ teaspoon cayenne powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
½ cup fresh ginger (you may start with 1/3 cup and add more to taste)
1 large yellow onion, sliced 1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
25-30 garlic cloves, peeled
1 can organic coconut milk
4-6 cups (or one carton store bought) organic vegetable broth
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Place 25-30 garlic cloves in small glass baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, and toss to coat. Cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake until garlic is golden brown and tender, about 30-40 minutes. Let cool. Squeeze garlic to release cloves, unless you peeled them prior to baking. Place the cloves into a small bowl.
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, drizzle olive oil and melt butter. Add onions, thyme, ginger, turmeric and cayenne powder and cook until onions are translucent. Add roasted garlic and 25-30 raw garlic cloves and cook for several additional minutes. Add vegetable broth (or chicken stock or bone broth); cover and simmer until garlic is very tender, approx. 20 minutes. Add coconut milk and then, working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Taste to check texture. If the soup is still too chunky for your liking, or your blender is not high powered enough to break down the more fibrous components such as ginger, simply use a fine mesh strainer and pour the soup through it, right back into the saucepan. Bring to simmer. You may season with sea salt and pepper to taste, but check the flavor first as this will likely not be necessary.
The flavor of the soup is similar to a curry, so if you’d like to add more “substance” to the soup, consider adding any of the vegetables you would find in a curry: asparagus, zucchini, broccoli, sweet potatoes, etc.
This soup may be prepared in advance. Simply cover and refrigerate then rewarm over medium heat when you are ready to eat it, stirring occasionally.
We hope you enjoy this soup as much as we do!
The 7 key healers in this recipe are:
*Garlic – Garlic not only increases antioxidant levels in the body, it is proven to be more effective than 2 common antibiotics. Garlic contains a type of natural antibiotic called allicin, a Sulphur containing compound that has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.
*Onion – Like garlic, onions have high levels of organic Sulphur compounds. Of 11 different types of onions studied, researchers from Cornell found that yellow onions (along with shallots) were the healthiest for their flavonoid and organic phenol content–powerful antioxidant compounds.
*Ginger – One of the oldest natural remedies for nausea is ginger, so if you are experiencing any nausea with your flu symptoms, you may want to add a little extra to your recipe. Ginger is a natural anti-inflammatory, can lower cholesterol, and prevents bacterial and fungal infections. Finally, ginger is a great digestive aid.
*Thyme – Thyme has been utilized in the treatment of stomach ache, bedwetting, diarrhea sore throat, and cough including whooping cough, as well as bronchitis and arthritis.
*Cayenne – Cayenne pepper contains cancer fighting lycopene. Cayenne can help reduce pain and is a powerful antioxidant that can ease the symptoms of colds and flu. Ancient remedies have put the family of red chilies and their powder to use as preventatives for heart attack.
*Turmeric – Due to the various curcuminoids in turmeric, its adaptogenic abilities are anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, anti-mutagenic, radioprotective, cardiovascular, antioxidant and antithrombotic (anti-clotting of the blood).
*Broth – You can use either bone broth or vegetable broth for this recipe, depending on your particular tastes and health goals. Food Scientist Kantha Shelke says, “Plants offer richer sources in collagen building blocks and, in addition, provide nutrients not found in sufficient quantities in meats or meat broth.” So, if you are trying to rebuild the gut, animal bone broth is not your only option. Some plant sources that contribute to healing the digestive tract and stomach lining are certain fats, seaweed, turmeric, and aloe vera.
In addition to increasing your intake of healing foods this winter, Equalizer Concentrate (our fulvic acid spray) is excellent for helping your body deal with the extra toxin consumption of the season. It helps boost absorption of nutrients and supports cellular function for healthy immunity. Finally, be sure to take plenty of Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and stay well-hydrated!
*We wish to credit the original base recipe for this soup to nutritionist, herbologist, and homeopathic practitioner John Summerly. We have made some modifications to the original.