(Hormone Balancing) Winter Warmer Soup
I’m always banging on about soup - having a pot on the go has to be the easiest way to feed a family coming in and out at different times, with enough left over for a quick lunch the next day. This one ticks a lot of boxes – plenty of delicious veg, some medicinal fresh herbs, low GL carbs for fibre and protein and some collagen rich bone broth. The secret ingredients are soy sauce and a large dollop of dark miso paste – good for female hormones as the phyto-oestrogens help balance yours naturally. Add some mushrooms for some natural vitamin D and feel the stress go out of your life!
Re the broth, instead of randomly buying chicken breasts or legs, I tend to buy a whole Organic bird and then use the various parts as I need through the week: breasts for a Thai curry or goujons, legs for a mini roast, wings for a spicy snack, a much better and more eco use of a whole bird. Slow cooking the carcass with fresh ginger, turmeric, chili, onion & garlic after means I have bone broth to add to lots of dishes through out the week, including my own personal elixir: hot broth with sesame oil and a few greens for a sneaky lunch for one. This is the easiest collagen you can get and plentiful too. You can make the both from any bones of course, beef ribs would give a hearty twist, game bones delicious too. I’ve added a fresh chilli for some extra warmth to this dish, but most of the rest of the ingredients are in your store cupboard or lurking in your fridge.
You will need:
1 medium onion
1 leek
2 cloves of garlic
2 chestnut mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 large red or green chilli, pierced but left whole
1 stick of celery, diced
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
some diced pancetta, smoked bacon or chorizo if you have it
½ can chickpeas
2 handfuls of dry red lentils
1 handful dry quinoa
1 ½ - 2 litres of good bone broth – chicken or beef
some fresh thyme if you have it – a few sprigs – leaves picked
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 desert spoon dark miso paste
Method:
Gently sweat the onions, leeks and garlic in some good olive oil with the pancetta or chorizo if using. Stir in the carrots, celery, mushrooms and a knob of butter if you like. Sprinkle in the thyme, followed by the pierced chilli and a handful of dry quinoa. Follow with the dry red lentils and bring back to the heat for a minute. Add the stock and test the seasoning, Bring back to the heat again, only adding the soy sauce and the miso towards the very end – miso does not survive boiling I’m afraid! Garnish with parsley, coriander, or the last of the thyme, a grating of parmesan or a even a dollop of pesto..