Flu Fighter Veggie Noodle Soup
I made this one for my sweet angel of a girlfriend when she got sick with Influenza A. I want to be clear in saying I am NOT a nutritionist, nor a health care professional. This mix of herbs and spices has proven to be effective to myself and others with cold, flu, and respiratory issues based on TCM and Ayurveda studies.
It also just tastes good!
So, even if you’re not sick, this is a nutritious and delicious way to cozy up indoors and ensure your body is packed with goodness.
Photo by: natashaskitchen.com
Ingredients
Insides
Carrot
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Noodles
I used organic chickpea noodles
You can also use quinoa instead
Extras
Hemp seeds
Micro-greens (I used broccoli sprouts)
Carrot
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Broth
Use Zero Waste Veggie Broth Recipe
Or, you can buy pre-made veggie stock cubes
1 white onion
Fresh garlic
White mushrooms
2 – 3 fresh red chilies
Fresh ginger
Fresh turmeric
Fresh coriander
Fresh parsley
Nutritional yeast
Spices
Cayenne pepper
Paprika
Black mustard seeds
Black pepper
Cumin
Sea salt
Instructions
1. Add chunks of fresh ginger and turmeric to pot boiling water first so the hot water is fully infused while you’re cooking everything else. Keep it on low heat for the duration of other food prep.
2. Follow my Zero Waste Veggie Broth recipe for the broth base. OR, you can add premade veggie stock to about 2 C boiling water in large pot.
3. Once the stock is made, heat up spices to bring out a more robust flavor. With a dash of olive oil, include 1 whole white onion (large), 7 cloves garlic (or more), shredded ginger (I used about 1/8 C), shredded turmeric (I used about 1/8 C), 2 – 3 chopped red chilies (depending on your spice tolerance, of course), paprika, cumin, black pepper, sea salt, and mustard seeds. Don’t worry about chopping up onion or garlic too much, as this whole mixture is going to be blended anyways.
4. Once onion and garlic are soft, and spices have a robust aroma- bring to low heat.
5. Lightly cook white mushrooms however you’d like just to add heat and activate the mushroom. I heated mine with just a little water and sea salt for about 3 minutes.
6. Add spice mixture and white mushrooms to food processor. Include heaps of fresh parsley and coriander (or to your liking). Add about ½ C of the turmeric and ginger infused hot water. Blend until fully liquid. Add more of the infused hot water as needed to get to this consistency.
7. Combine blended mixture to veggie broth, and bring to a low heat. Add more sea salt (this was important for my partner as she had really low blood pressure). Include ½ C – 1 C nutritional yeast (this is great for a B vitamin boost, and also a cheesy flavor). Stir.
8. For the insides, you have options. I always have roasted veggies on hand, so included the roasted veggies I already had. They were roasted with only a dash of olive oil, paprika, sea salt and black pepper.
9. If you don’t have any roasted veggies already available, you can roast what you do have for about half the time you normally would (not all the way soft). If you’re avoiding oil, or simply want a more plain flavor, then you can add chopped veggies straight to the liquid and boil as is.
10. Either way, bring mixture to boil until veggies are soft.
11. Once boiled, bring to low heat and let simmer. The longer you allow the spices, herbs, and veggies to soak- the more flavorful it will be.
12. When you get to the point that you’re about 15 minutes away from serving meal, then cook noodles or quinoa. I kept the noodles separate from the soup so that they didn’t get over-cooked and bloated. I added the noodles to the soup upon service.
13. Check on flavor of liquid. Add more spices as needed, or more salt as needed. This is really based on your preference for flavor and heat tolerance. Mine was quite spicy in an effort to break up mucus in the lungs, and because I like spicy flavors.
14. When noodles and soup are ready, mix together and top with fresh coriander and parsley.
15. If you want to get fancy, you can top with micro-greens (I used broccoli sprouts) and a sprinkle of hemp seeds for additional omega 3 & 6 nutrients.
16. Serve hot and enjoy!
