Food Friday: Summer Tomato Harvest Soup

Zucchini galore these days! There are many ways to eat them this summer - add them to bread, muffins, stir-fry, spiralize for noodles or add them to a soup. I am a big fan of summer soups, since they are quick nutritious meals for lunches at the office but also warming, since our bodies don't recognize its summer when we sit in the office all week. This soup is similar to chili, but full of summer veggies you can find at your local market. Steer clear if you are on an inflammation diet, or suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, since it contains nightshade vegetables, which can be inflammatory. This recipe is from one of my favourite cookbooks OhSheGlows. 

Ingredients:

Tomatosoup-Dr.Karen
  • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 3 large cloves garlic
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 large red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded, if desired, and diced (optional but recommended)
  • kernels from 2 ears fresh corn, or 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels 
  • 1 medium zucchini, chopped
  • 1 (24 oz/680g) jar or can crushed tomatoes (I crushed a can of whole San Rem tomatoes myself)
  • 3 cups vegetable broth
  • 3 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp sea salt, or to taste
  • 1 (15 oz/425g) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • Optional toppings - sliced avocado, fresh lime juice, cilantro

Recipe:

Serves 4; Prep time - 20 minutes; Cook time - 30 minutes

  1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  2. Stir in the bell pepper, jalapeño, corn kernels, and zucchini. Raise the heat to medium-high and salute for 10 minutes more.
  3. Add the crushed tomatoes, broth, cumin, chili powder, and cayenne and stir well. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Bring the soup to a low boil and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the black beans and simmer for 2 minutes more.
  5. Scoop the soup into bowls and garnish with your toppings of choice (mine are avocado, lime juice, and lots of cilantro - good for the liver!) 
  6. Enjoy!

Do you have any favourite summer soup recipes to share? 

In health & happiness,

Dr. Karen

From Around the Web

Some goodies from around the web this month. Happy Canada Day!

1. Some guided meditation for children who are suffering from anxiety and stress. 

2. Grass fed milk and cheese straight from the valley - you can get this at numerous places around the city. 

3. My good friends Dr. Adrienne Wood's newest go to gluten-free website. I'll be checking this one out this month. 

4. Things to avoid when eating in restaurants according to Anthony Bourdain. 

5. Keep your eyes peeled for these interesting edibles at your local farmers market. 

6. Mighty coconut oil - how do you use it? 

7. A great way to jump start eating healthy and try some superfoods this July, by holistic nutritionist Stephanie McWilliams, RD and Emily Bush.

8. Simple steps to relieve chronic pain according to Aviva Romm, MD. 

9. Organic, clean, natural beauty products locally made by the Woods Witch. 

In health & happiness, 

Dr. Karen

(Photo cred: http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/guided-meditations-for-children; http://www.thekitchn.com/if-you-see-this-at-the-farmers-market-buy-it-now-219956; http://avivaromm.com/simple-steps-relieve-pain)

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Giving the body a break: Spring Cleanse

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We recently completed our first Spring Cleanse at Symmetry Wellness Centre and it was a success! The cleanse was two weeks focusing on healthy whole foods, eliminating the more inflammatory and processed foods, including gluten, processed sugar, alcohol and coffee. Although not everyone has repercussions from some of these foods, ie coffee, it is good to give the body and liver a break at least once a year. We stuck to a whole foods cleanse, instead of the more aggressive cleanses, as our bodies still need nutrients and fibre to function optimally and several people participating had never done a cleanse before. 

Who should cleanse? Everyone! Even if our diet is super clean, we are bombarded with toxins everyday from multiple sources. Some examples are processed food, pesticides, pollution and radiation. It is a good idea to do a cleanse at least once a year to support your body's natural detoxification processes and empty our "bucket". 

Body as a bucket: Think of our bodies as a bucket. When we are born, is it a empty - a clean state - then we start to fill up the bucket. If we are not careful, overtime it will overflow, creating symptoms. These could be eczema, asthma, high blood pressure or cancer, to name a few. What we want to do is promote an ebb and flow to the bucket, preventing it from overflowing. To do this we need to decrease the amount of stress we put on our bodies, food stressors and/or emotional stressors, but also ensure the healthy functioning of our "organs of elimination" - liver, bowels, kidneys and skin. This means, eating a whole foods diet, exercising and focusing on emptying our bowels at least once a day. What comes in...must come out (except for the nutrients that we DO absorb)! If this is an issue for you, consider liver support, more fibre or water. Consult an ND if more support is needed. 

Why Spring? In chinese medicine, spring is the time of the liver, therefore the perfect time to support its detoxification function. The change of the seasons is a new beginning for the nature around us. We can implement this new beginning to our bodies as well, giving it a fresh start. Nature is helping us do this with new buds, sprouts and herbs flourishing. Nutrients is more concentrated in light, fresh foods. No need for larger, heavier meals to hibernate for the winter, but fresh salads and cooler foods to put a "spring" in your step :)

Healthy habits: During a detox, one goal of mine is to help implement healthy habits to carry forward into the summer. Here are some easy ones you'll hear me mention a lot:

  • Drinking more water! Especially during the hotter months to replenish that which we have lost during the day. Hungry? Reach for water first.
  • Warm water with lemon and castor oil packs - The pack at night over the liver and lemon water in the morning helps to get those bowels moving and stimulate digestion. 
  • Apple cider vinegar and honey - 1 tsp ACV + 1 tsp local honey in 1 cup hot water. The bitter and sweat together is the perfect combination to use food as medicine to stimulate the liver, and even combat seasonal allergies.
  • Tumeric - The spice of many names. "Curcuma longa" in latin, is a powerful spice with many actions including anti-inflammatory, immune regulating and liver supporting. I higher dose taken in capsule form has the best results. 
  • Light fresh meals - Click on the photos above for some fresh ideas.

What have you done to support your liver this spring?

Join us next year for our 2nd annual spring cleanse!

In health & happiness,

Dr. Karen

 

From Around the Web

1. For the foodies in the HRM - many options to enjoy great local food!

2. A step in the right direction in terms of research for Naturopathic Medicine.

3. Phytoplankton - the newest superfood? Let me know what you think.

4. Stuck in a weight rut with hypothyroidism? Read this blog post for help. (Good tips for w eight loss in general.)

5. Craving vegetable coconut curry? Look no further. 

6. Why I always stress the important of sleep - check out this infographic. 

7. Dreaming of summer...this recipe gets me more excited!

8. Struggling with "IBS"? It might be more than that. This is a great article written about SIBO by my colleague and friend. 

9. An intro to chakras and how to balance them with yoga.   

In health & happiness,

Dr. Karen