There are certain foods, particularly the bright roots, fruits and vegetables, which really pack a wallop in the way of providing our bodies precious nutrients and antioxidants that we need to stay healthy and disease free. But sometimes, for me anyway, I like to mix things up a little and try my favorite free radical eliminators in new and interesting culinary ways. Here are two recipes chalked full of goodness we need to stay healthy.
This beautiful soup appeared in this month's issue of Martha Stewart Living. The amazing color of the soup is what honestly attracted me to the recipe. I thought anything that vibrant in color has to be packed with nutrition.
Look at how beautiful the red of the beet is.
The best part about this soup, aside from its amazing flavor, is that it is super easy to make and incredibly cheap to boot. Both cauliflower and beets are relatively inexpensive items in your local supermarket and the only other ingredients needed are as follows...
one medium onion chopped
6 cups of chicken broth
1 T fresh dill chopped
pinch of Kosher salt
along with
2 large or 3 medium fresh beets
one medium head of cauliflower chopped
Saute the onion is olive oil until transparent, about 4 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the dill. Bring to a boil and then let simmer for 15 minutes. Then let cool for about 10 minutes.
Add the dill to the soup and then in batches, ladle the soup into a food processor or blender and blend until the mixture is smooth, and then transfer the blended soup to a large bowl. Repeat until all the soup has been blended. You may need to add a little water if the soup thickens too much.
Return all of the soup to the pot and heat through. Garnish with remaining dill sprigs.
Beets are rich in Betaine which helps to promote good cardiovascular heath and can also aid in lowering blood pressure. Beets are very rich in vitamin C and can protect the liver by lessening fatty deposits on the liver due to alcoholism, diabetes, and protein deficiency. Cauliflower is not only rich in vitamin C as well but also fiber and a compound called sulforaphane which acts to protect the body from cancer. To maximize the cancer fighting affects of cauliflower in this recipe, the cauliflower can be steamed or microwave separately, and then added to the beet mixture before blending.
This is one of my favorite salads and dressing. Typically I make the dressing during the summer months when blueberries are plentiful and reasonably priced. But our local Thriftway has them on sale this week for only $1.99/pint, so I decided to throw caution to the wind, take advantage of this unusual winter sale, and make this salad.
The dressing includes 1/2 cup fresh blueberries, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons water, half a medium shallot chopped, one tablespoon basil chopped, 1/4 cup of olive oil and a pinch of Kosher salt.
Look at these beautiful colors of nature.
Blend all the dressing ingredients in a food processor or blender.
Then toss dressing together these ingredients...
mixed greens
toasted almonds
crumbled blue cheese
pinch of salt
And enjoy!
Blueberries are loaded with the antioxidant polyphenol that neutralizes free radicals in the body which can cause cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer's Disease. Blueberries are rich in vitamin C too. Olive oil in the dressing along with the almonds in the salad are also heart healthy foods. Almonds are rich in vitamin E and a good source of high quality protein. Almonds can help lower LDL and lipids (fat). Olive oil can help reduce cholesterol as well as the risk of certain cancers like breast, prostate, endometrial and cancers of the digestive track.
So eat up those brightly colored foods mother nature has generously provided for us, they are packed with nutrients which can ward of diseases and help keep our immunity in tack.
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