Health Cafe Journey

I love Thai food. It's very vegan-friendly with the use of coconut milk instead of dairy. I had a craving for coconut milk and vegetable soup recently and experimented with putting something together. Here's what I came up with. Thai Coconut Soup from Chris Pedersen yield 6-8 servings category Soup cuisine Thai, Vegan, Vegetarian ingredients 1 13.5 oz  can Coconut Milk 2 cans filtered water (use coconut milk can) 2 carrots, chopped 2 C chopped potatoes 1 C green beans cut in 1-inch pieces 1/2 yellow onion, chopped 3 oz shitake mushrooms, sliced 1/8 C lemon grass cut in 1/4-inch pieces 1 tsp sea salt 1 shallot, diced 2 tsp tamari 1/2 inch ginger, minced 1/2 inch turmeric root, minced 2 Tbsp lime juice 1/8 tsp Sambal Oelek 1/2 tsp curry Seafood (optional—shrimp, white fish, etc) directions 1. Add coconut milk and water to medium-size sauce pan on medium heat. 2. Add carrots, potatoes, green beans and onions then heat for 15 - 20 minutes. 3. Add remaining ingredients and cook ...

I must have more recipes for butternut squash than any other food. I love it cooked in so many different ways. This recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash Soup came from a friend who tried it, loved it and passed it on. It's a great soup for a rainy day. But don't wait for a rainy day to try it—it's too good to wait. Besides we seem to be entering another dry spell here in California and you know we need the rain. The Granny Smith apple provides a wonderful sweetness to this soup. While the fresh sage adds a touch of earthiness. Roasted Butternut Squash Soup from Runcrissierun.com yield 4 - 6 servings category Soup cuisine Vegan ingredients 1 butternut squash about 8″ long 1 Tbsp melted coconut oil 1/4 C cashews, soaked 6 sage leaves 3 - 4 vegetable stock 1 Tbsp coconut oil 1 shallot, diced 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and cubed 1 tsp sea salt Pinch of pepper directions 1. Preheat oven to 325ºF. 2. Slice squash in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds and discard. Brush open fac...

I'm a modified vegan—I don't do dairy (except occasional goat cheese and organic eggs) and the only meat I eat is wild-caught fish. When I found this chowder recipe, I got excited. This soup is delicious. You're going to love it.  Want something to warm your tummy this fall? Make up a double recipe so you have plenty to freeze for more than one meal. Fish Chowder from Whole Foods yield 8 servings category Soup cuisine Pescatarian ingredients 3 celery stalks, diced (plus leaves for garnish) 1 red bell pepper, chopped small 1 small yellow onion, diced 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 1 C vegetable stock 1/4 C quinoa flour 6 C organic unsweetened plain soymilk 6 medium red potatoes (~1 1/4 lbs) cubed 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme 1 tsp sea salt 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper 12 oz wild-caught white fish (mahi mahi, monkfish, etc) cut into 1" pieces 1 C yellow corn (fresh or frozen) 1/4 C finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley directions 1. Heat oil in large pot over med...

Here's a great soup to get your fall in gear. It's simple (if I make it, you can bet it's easy to prepare). I made this soup while visiting a friend who moved away. Two other friends and I flew to Southern California to enjoy a few days with a girlfriend who moved closer to her grandkids—her son needed help and she rose to the challenge. I offered to cook all the meals during the visit because I've learned that I won't get decent food (or any food... hello, breakfast is the most important meal of the day) unless I step up. Thrilled about having me cook for them, they were eager to see what and how I cooked. It's just easier for me to cook than give the cook instruction for my eating lifestyle . In this case, the cook was primarily my friend's husband and he wanted to learn more about eating healthier. I sent a shopping list of groceries to get ahead of us arriving. We would stop for the rest of the items on the way from the airport at their local Trader Joe...

Get ready to fire up the grill as the warm weather approaches and Memorial Day is on the horizon. For a fresh take on gazpacho, try this recipe. It's simple and quick—needing a hot BBQ and blender to execute. Grilled Yellow Gazpacho & Shrimp from Raleys.com yield 4 servings category Main Course cuisine Seafood ingredients 2 large yellow heirloom tomatoes 1 yellow bell pepper, stemmed and seeded 1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed and seeded 2 (1/2-inch think) slices onion 3/4 C peeled diced cucumber 1/4 C fresh cilantro leaves 3 Tbsp slivered almonds, toasted 2 Tbsp olive oil 2 Tbsp sherry vinegar 1/2 tsp sea salt or to taste 1 clove garlic, minced 16 wild Texas Gulf shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 tsp smoked paprika sea salt to taste directions 1. Grill tomatoes, pepper and onion (turning occasionally) over medium-high heat on a well-oiled grill for 5 minutes or until nicely charred. 2. Place in a blender or food processor with next 7 ingredients up to garlic. Blend ...

Sweet potatoes and nuts are familiar ingredients in many African dishes. This colorful soup combines garbanzo beans with vegetables and is served over rice or quinoa. With all the soups recipes I've provided this winter, I expect you all to be have a great arsenal against cold and sickness in the future. This soup uses almond butter. I like to use the chunky kind so I get a few small bits of almond while enjoying the soup. I find that the best way to add the almond butter is to scoop out about a half a cup of soup broth and mix it with the 3 Tbsp of almond butter until the two are blended. Then add it to the soup and stir. African Bean Soup from PCRM yield 8 servings category Vegan cuisine Ethnic ingredients 1/2 C filtered water 3 Tbsp Bragg's aminos soy sauce 1 onion, sliced 2 small sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and diced (about 2 cups) 1 large carrot, sliced 1 celery stalk, sliced 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced 1 15 oz can of crushed or diced tomatoes 4 C (1 32 oz b...

This soup is so delicious. I suggest serving this any time of the year. It will warm your tummy in the winter. Or be a wonderful first course to a great summer gathering. Everyone will love it! The sweetness of the apple and the tang of the ginger is a bonus combination. It's a blender soup. Since the Vita Mix can heat whatever you blend until it's piping hot, you could skip the stove top steps and put it all in the blender. I've made this soup twice and followed the instruction here. However, just saying, if you are really in a hurry, you might try the all-blender route. Carrot, Butternut Squash & Ginger Soup from Vita Mix yield 8-10 servings category Soup cuisine Vegan ingredients 1 Tbsp olive oil 4 carrots, chopped 1 small onion, chopped 1 minced garlic clove 3 Tbsp of peeled and diced fresh ginger 1 C peeled and cubed butternut squash 1 cored and diced apple 4 C (1 32 oz box) vegetable broth 1/2 tsp sea salt 1/2 tsp tumeric 1 (14oz) can of light coconut milk 1 ...

You are gonna love the taste of this immune-boosting soup. It's better than chicken soup, especially when you're feeling a bit  under the weather . It's full of antioxidants and nutrients to help you fight disease—even cancer. While the flu season is still going, make up a batch to fortify your family. I always have kale on hand as an ingredient for juicing or making smoothies. Don't eat kale you say. Then you need to read how healthy this lovely green vegetable is for you. This soup calls for julienned kale, which means having it cut into small thin strips. Here's the quick way I do it: Separate the leaf from the spine by cutting or a quick method is to rip the leaf from the spine—hold the spine and tear toward you. Don't worry about the small spine near the leaf top. I simply rip the top from the larger part of the leaf. Make a nice stack of the leaves, orienting them in the same direction. While holding the stack with one hand, slice off narrow strips. And...