Healing Food: Broccoli (Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe)

Broccoli is one of our favorite green vegetables.  It is one of those eat as much as you want foods! We love to eat it as a snack raw (especially dipped in hummus), steamed, sauteed, or as a soup. 

The health benefits of broccoli are amazing. It is part of the cabbage family and is a cruciferous vegetable. They are excellent for detox, lowering cholesterol and fighting cancer.

One of the foods I missed most that we used to eat with Broccoli before we went gluten and dairy free was Broccoli Cheese Soup. We went a couple years just not having any because I couldn't find a recipe or even think of how we could copy it and still make it taste decent.  After lots of experimenting, I came up with this recipe by altering one and adding a few things of my own. Enjoy!

Vegan Broccoli "Cheese" Soup:
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
6.5 cups broccoli florets
3 cups GF chicken broth
1 cup cooked chickpeas (or canned)
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 can coconut milk
2 TB nutritional yeast
Salt & Pepper to taste

Saute onions in olive oil until translucent. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add broccoli, broth, chickpeas. Increase to high and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Puree with immersion blender until smooth. Add coconut milk and nutritional yeast.

Healing Food of the Week: Grapes

Grapes are usually eaten raw and freezing them tastes great too!  They are also used for many other foods and drinks including: wine, jam, jelly, juice, raisins, vinegar, grape seed extract, and grape seed oil.  There are red (purple), white (green), and black (dark purple) grapes.  The harvest season for grapes in Michigan is August-Sept, August-October in North Carolina.  So, right now we are enjoying them!  


Grapes and Raisins
Grapes have many benefits.  They are a great low calorie snack with only 62 calories per 1 cup.  Vitamin K in grapes has an anticoagulant effect. Grapes provide energy from natural sugars and help for your GI tract with fiber, especially when eaten as raisins.  Raisins are also a good source of iron, magnesium, and vitamin B-6.  The downside to raisins is the concentration of sugar (98g/cup), even if it is natural!  The most well known benefit of grapes is the antioxidants.  Antioxidants help your cells to function well and protect against heart disease and cancer. Anything made from grapes has antioxidants.

Wine

Wine is good for you but only in moderation, or not at all depending on your risk factors.  Wine's antioxidants can be beneficial to your health but can also hurt it by raising your blood pressure, according to Mayo Clinic.  Too much wine can increase your breast cancer risk, among other risks.  See links below for more information.  
Benefits: Mayo Clinic: Red wine and resveratrol: Good for your heart?
Risks: BreastCancer.org: Drinking Alcohol
5 Negative Health Risks of Drinking Too Much Wine

The Dirty Dozen
Grapes are one of the top 12 fruits and vegetables to be covered in pesticides.  They are actually #5 on the Environmental Working Group's list for 2013. Take a look at their article about organic vs conventional fruits and vegetables: Shopper's Guide to the Dirty Dozen.  I really like their statement that fruits and vegetables have such a high nutritional value that it cancels out the downside of pesticides.  Basically, don't let the fact that you can't afford to buy organic foods get you down.  At least you are eating whole foods! But, if you want to try to eat organic, start with the "dirty dozen".

Anti-fungal, Anti-bacterial

Grape Seed Extract has antibacterial properties and is used as a natural disinfectant.  The skin of grapes has an anti-fungal property.

References:

USDA Agricultural Research Service
United States Department of Agriculture
http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2316?fg=&man=&lfacet=&count=&max=25&sort=&qlookup=09131&offset=&format=Full&new=1&measureby=

About.com Local Foods
http://localfoods.about.com/od/searchbyregion/a/michiganseasons.htm

http://localfoods.about.com/od/searchbystate/a/northcarolinaseasons.htm

Healing Food of the Week: Squash

Squash is an amazing healing real food that should be a part of your diet. There are so many varieties and it can be cooked and enjoyed in so many ways! We love summer and winter squash.  In Michigan, summer squash is available in July and continues to be available until about October.  Winter squash is available in September and is around until the frost comes! We love the season in September-October when both are available at the same time!  In North Carolina, all squash is available a little longer than Michigan because of the longer growing season.  Winter squash can be stored in a cool place through the winter and used for later cooking.

  

Summer squash is usually yellow or green (zucchini).  They have less sugar and are therefore considered a category one vegetable (lower glycemic). Zucchini and yellow summer squash are examples.

The easiest way to cook summer squash is to slice it and sautee it with some italian seasoning such as Penzey's Tuscan Sunset or Kirkland Tuscan seasoning and possibly some sweet onion and olive oil.  It makes a great quick summer side dish.  You can also add a little mozzerella cheese to make it taste like pizza!

Winter Squash refers to squash that is harvested later in the summer/fall when the skin has hardened. Spaghetti squash, butternut squash, acorn squash, and pumpkins are examples. They have more sugar and therefore are higher glycemic and a category two vegetable. If you’re watching your weight, you may want to have just one portion of the orange winter squash.  Squash seeds are edible too, and packed with vitamins and minerals.  Pumpkin seeds are awesome when roasted!

Winter squash can be cut in half and cooked in the oven (after scooping out the seeds), but the easier way is to use your crockpot!  It is so simple and saves you the muscle work needed to cut the squash in half prior to cooking.  Simply put a washed winter squash in a crockpot with about 2 tablespoons of water and cook it on low for 6-8 hours. Six hours for a small squash and about 8 for a large Butternut squash.  Two small squash can be placed in a large crockpot at once as well.  When finished, you can use a butter knife to cut it in half and easily scoop out the seeds.  Perfection!

Remember your ABC's?
All types of squash are known for their low calorie, high fiber content, which helps maintain a healthy weight. Squash is also high in Vitamin C, Potassium, Vitamin A, and Vitamin B-6.  Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, a part of collagen formation, and a great defense against injury, illness, and disease.  Potassium is vital for cell function throughout the body and nervous system. Maintaining normal levels in critical for the heart. The darker yellow and orange squash has more beta-carotene which is converted to vitamin A. Vitamin A aids in cellular integrity, body growth, and night vision.  Vitamin B-6 helps with formation of heme, a part of hemoglobin, the oxygen carrying part of the red blood cell and also aids in breaking down proteins for use by the body. 

Below are the nutrition facts for Winter and Summer Squash.

Summer Squash

Nutrition Facts

Amount Per	1 medium (196 g)	% *Daily Value
Calories	32
Total Fat	0.4 g	0%
Saturated fat	0.1 g	0%
Polyunsaturated fat	0.2 g	0%
Monounsaturated fat	0 g	0%
Cholesterol	0 mg	0%
Sodium	4 mg	0%
Potassium	514 mg	14%
Total Carbohydrate	7 g	2%
Dietary fiber	2.2 g	8%
Sugar	4.3 g
Protein	2.4 g	4%
Vitamin A		7%
Calcium		2%
Vitamin B-6		20%
Magnesium		8%
Vitamin C		55%
Iron		3%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Butternut Squash (A Winter Squash)

Nutrition Facts                     

Amount Per	1 cup, cubes (140 g)	% *Daily Value
Calories	63
Total Fat	0.1 g	0%
Saturated fat	0 g	0%
Polyunsaturated fat	0.1 g
Monounsaturated fat	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg	0%
Sodium	6 mg	0%
Potassium	493 mg	14%
Total Carbohydrate	16 g	5%
Dietary fiber	2.8 g	11%
Sugar	3.1 g
Protein	1.4 g	2%
Vitamin A		297%
Vitamin B-6		10%
Vitamin C		48%
Calcium		6%
Iron		5%
Magnesium		12 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

References:

          LeFever Kee, Joyce, MSN, RN.  (2005)  Laboratory and Diagnostic Tests with Nursing Implications (Seventh Edition).  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.   

        VanStraten, Michael.  (2004)  The Healthy Food Directory.   Burnaby, British Columbia, CA: SELECT EDITIONS.
   
        Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.  September 21, 2013.  Butternut Squash.  Retrieved from  
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butternut_squash     
      
        Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.  September 15, 2013.  Summer Squash.  Retrieved from 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_squash