A potential paleo confession + the soup that heals

You may have seen it coming. I mean, I'm very passionate about healthy and wholesome cooking. It started with strange produce from our former fruit and vegetable delivery. Then it was whole-wheat this, quinoa that. Barley, lentils, beans. Now, I don't know what to think. All I know is that I can't get "paleo" and "wheat belly" off my mind.

Don't freak out - I'm not a convert yet. But Zack and I are headed in that direction; at least for now. You may be seeing a lot of low carb, low sugar recipes coming your way. And to my surprise, Zack is very on board...could this be because there will be more meat involved, I wonder? I'm no expert when it comes down to the nitty-gritty eat this, not that, but we'll see where this goes.

For now, I bring you "the soup that heals." Man. If you need a way to awaken your senses and cleanse your soul, this is the soup for you. The wholesomeness, the spice - it just feels good. It dinner doesn't get much healthier than a homemade broth overflowing with fresh veggies.

A magic healing soup

As adapted from The First Mess.

Serves 2.

Note: whatever vegetables you decide to use, be sure they are sliced or peeled rather finely. The cooking/tenderizing of the vegetables is dependent upon the hot broth alone, so you don't want your veggies to be too chunky. Also, the ingredient portions listed here will serve 2; I doubled the recipe when I made it, saving the broth and fresh-cut veggies in separate containers, re-heated the broth the next day and submerged the veggies in it.

Ingredients for broth:

1 whole lemon, halved

2 celery stalks, cut up into a few pieces

1 onion, quartered

5 shiitake mushroom stems (reserve caps for soup)

1 red chili pepper, halved

1 3-inch piece of fresh ginger

1 clove of garlic, smashed

5 twigs of fresh thyme

Handful of fresh cilantro stems (reserve cilantro leaves for soup)

Heaping 1/4 cup tamari soy sauce

5 cups water

To serve:

1.5 cups finely sliced vegetables per serving (I used carrots, snow peas, shiitake mushroom caps, and whole leaves of baby spinach)

Garnish:

Fresh cilantro leaves

Sliced green onions

Sprouts (I used micro-greens from Trader Joe's)

Sesame oil

Sriracha

Lime wedges

Make the broth: combine all broth ingredients in a medium-large saucepan over medium heat. Pour 5 cups of water over the top and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cooking for 30-45 minutes (longer if you want a more concentrated broth). Strain the broth and return to pot, keeping hot.

You can slice up vegetables and garnishes while broth is simmering. Arrange vegetables in serving bowls, then ladle/pour hot broth over top. Stir around a bit so vegetables are completely submerged to tenderize. Garnish as desired and serve.

This soup was very delicious. It is light on the appetite though, so we supplemented with a little beef and asparagus Japanese take-out. And it was spicy. We love heat over here, but be sure to not overdue it with the chili pepper if heat is not your thing (don't throw in all the seeds as I did, perhaps). Furthermore, may test taste at 30 minutes; I let it simmer for a good 45 minutes, so it was concentrated. Come to think of it, if you're not into heat, this may not be the soup for you. I think it might be too simple without it. This is a great recipe though.

Well, here's to all the healthy and belly-friendly dishes coming your way. Stay tuned!