Creamy broccoli and almond soup

Broccoli is one of the most nutrient-dense foods.

It's an excellent source of vitamins K, C and A, as well as folic acid and fibre; and a very good source of phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and the vitamins B6 and E.

Many of its health benefits are due to its phytonutrients.

Broccoli is rich in phytochemicals called glucosinolates with well-evidenced anti-cancer properties and the carotenoid lutein, which is a powerful antioxidant known to prevent macular degeneration.

Creamy broccoli and almond soup is is one of my favourite plant-based soup recipes. It's delicious, easy to prepare and very satisfying.

The creamy texture comes from the ground almonds and gently sauted onions and it's vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and added sugar-free.

Recipe

Yield

• Makes 4 servings

Serving size

• 340g/12oz

Calories per serving

• 151

Tools

• Thick-based cooking pot
• Simple hand blender

Prepare ahead

• Store any portions leftover in the refrigerator or freezer

Ingredients

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 2 white onions (300g/10½oz) (roughly chopped)
• 1 head broccoli (400g/14oz), washed and cut into small florets. Cut stalks into small pieces. Set aside a few florets, cut into bite-sized pieces, to add at the end.
• 2-3 cups water
• 3 tbsp ground almonds
• 1 dessertspoon sweet white miso, dissolved in a little water to make it easier to mix into the dish         without lumps
• 1 tsp flaked almonds

Method

Add olive oil and a small pinch of salt to a thick-based pan. Add the chopped onions and spices and sweat gently over a low heat until the onions are soft and translucent.

Sweat - A technique by which ingredients, particularly vegetables, are cooked gently in a small amount of fat over low heat, in a tightly covered pot. With this method, the ingredients soften without browning, and cook in their own juices. 

Sweating is different from sautéing, which is cooking food quickly in a small amount of oil or other fat in a skillet or sauté pan over direct heat.

Add broccoli florets (apart from the small handful of florets you’ve put to one side) and the chopped broccoli stalks.

Add enough water to just cover the vegetables. Don’t add too much water at this stage otherwise the soup will end up watery and it will take you ages to reduce it. If the soup is too thick, you can always add more water later. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat low and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the broccoli is soft enough to blend. Don’t overcook it otherwise the broccoli will lose its vibrant green colour.

Blend the soup with a simple hand blender. Add the ground almonds and sweet white miso to taste.

Add the small broccoli florets you set aside and simmer for a further 2 minutes, until they are cooked al dente.

al dente [al-DEN -tay] An Italian phrase meaning “to the tooth,” used to describe pasta or other food that is cooked only until it offers a slight resistance when bitten into, but which is not soft or overdone.

Serve the soup garnished with flaked almonds.

There are many dishes you can make using broccoli. Check out my recipe for purple spouting broccoli with mushrooms and arame.

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Essene or sprouted bread

Essene bread is a dense, filling, unleavened bread made from whole sprouted grains, usually wheat, but may also include barley, rye, spelt, millet and/or buckwheat. It is rich in beneficial nutrients.

Essene bread contains no yeast, no dairy, no eggs, no oil or fat, no sweetener. It is only sprouted grain, with added salt if you wish.

Essene bread has become popular in recent years and is sold in natural and health food stores. It sometimes includes nuts, seeds, raisins, dates and herbs, which can make the bread more like a moist malt loaf. It has a naturally sweet taste.

The Essenes were a Jewish sect with about 4000 members, which flourished around the time of Christ. They lived an ascetic lifestyle in the countryside and practised vegetarianism.

Wherever they lived, the common people always called them “The Healers”. The word ‘Essene’ comes from the Aramaic word ‘Assaya’, which means ‘Healer’.

In Egypt, the Essenes were called ‘Therapeutae’, which means ‘Healer’ and is the origin of the word ‘Therapist’.

Philo of Alexandria, in a book written two thousand years ago, wrote that the Essenes were not only the best healers of the body, but also of the mind and soul.

Not only did they heal others, they also lived a healing lifestyle that caused them to live to very advanced ages.

The Jewish historian Josephus, in a book written two thousand years ago, declares that the Essenes lived to an average age of over 100 years, many reaching the age of 120. And that was at a time when the average age of death of non-Essenes was 45.

The staple food of the Essenes was bread made from sprouted whole grains or berry roots, which were finely ground, mixed with water, and cooked at low temperatures in order to preserve the vitamins, minerals and enzymes.

Due to the way it is made, Essene bread is sometimes referred to as a "living loaf" because the grains are partially raw and the enzymes are left intact.

These plant enzymes support digestion and the process of sprouting reduces the content of phytic acid, a substance present in grains that inhibits absorption of minerals.

Rich in vitamins and minerals

Commercial bread manufacturing uses the endosperm of the wheat kernel, which contains mainly carbohydrate and very little vitamin or mineral content. The commercial milling of grain into white flour removes the bran and the germ, which results in the loss of natural fibre and numerous vitamins and minerals. To compensate, bread manufacturers often add back thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, calcium and iron.

Essene bread, on the other hand, contains whole grains and thus retains all the nutrients.

When grains, seeds and nuts are germinated, their nutrients become easier for the body to assimilate.

Because Essene bread is not baked at high temperatures, less nutrients are destroyed in the cooking process.

High in antioxidants

Sprouted grains, seeds and nuts are high in antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the body from the by-products of oxidation in the body, referred to as free-radicals, which are thought to be responsible for aging, tissue damage and disease.

High in fibre

In addition to being very digestible, sprouted grains are an excellent source of fibre and plant protein.

Fibre has many beneficial effects on health, for example, it promotes bowel movements and assists with the healthy regulation of blood sugar, cholesterol and oestrogen levels in the blood.

RECIPE

How to make bread from sprouted grains

Ingredients

1-2 cups dry grain – e.g., wheat, spelt barley, rye, buckwheat (this will yield 4-6 cups sprouted grain). Barley gives a moister consistency and more of a caramel or malty flavour when mixed in with wheat.
Water

Instructions

There are 5 basic steps:

1. Soak the grain.
2. Sprout the grain.
3. Grind the grain.
4. Bake the grain.
5. Condition the loaf.

To sprout grains, wash them, soak them in water for 24 hours, then transfer them to a jar with a piece of cloth or nylon window screen secured over its rim.

Rinse with water two to four times a day, depending on the climate and the type of seed, to provide them with moisture and prevent them from souring.

Depending on the type of grain, they will sprout in 3-5 days.

The grains should be soft, and the sprouts just starting. Pick through them to remove any unsprouted or discoloured grains.

Mince the sprouts. You can use a food processor, a blender, or a big pestle and mortar. A slow juicer with the mincing cone attached also works.

Shape the dough into a greased bread pan, or lay it out on some baking paper.

Leave it in a warm spot (20-25 centigrade) for 12-24 hours. It can rise up to double in size. It rises more if it is finely minced. Adding a sourdough starter can help too.

Raw

The best, most alive bread is made if you slow-cook the loaf for a total of 24-36 hours. You can put it in the sun, or use a VERY low oven if your oven can turn down that low. The maximum temperature allowed is 40 centigrade/104 Fahrenheit. If you keep it below that temperature, the high level of enzymes and other nutrients in the sprouted grains are kept intact. This makes a very digestible and healthy loaf.

Baked

Alternatively, you can bake the loaf in an oven at 110-115 centigrade (225-250 Fahrenheit) for two hours. This makes a sweet, almost caramelised, dense loaf. It is similar to many store-sold Essene breads.

Conditioning

After cooking, wrap the cooled loaf in parchment and put into the refrigerator for at least 1 or 2 days.

The bread, after it cools, will be very hard on the outside and very wet on the inside. Conditioning it in the fridge will allow the exterior to soften and the interior to firm up.

Variations

Rather than a loaf, form into flattened balls

To improve the flavour and texture of the traditional bread above:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

To make a more interesting or a sweeter bread:
1/4 cup of sesame seeds or caraway seeds OR
1/2 cup of currants, raisins or dates

To make a bread that rises more:
1/2 cup of spelt flour
1 tablespoon of kefir whey
or
1 tablespoon of sourdough starter

References

Quod Omnis Probus liber sit “Every Good Man is Free,” 75–91, and the Apologia pro Iudaeis (in Eusebius” Praeparatio Evangelica 8.11.1–18), a work usually considered part of the Hypothetica.


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Watermelon, strawberry and rose water crush

"The true Southern watermelon is a boon apart, and not to be mentioned with commoner things. It is chief of this world's luxuries, king by the grace of God over all the fruits of the earth. When one has tasted it, he knows what the angels eat. It was not a Southern watermelon that Eve took; we know it because she repented."

Mark Twain (1835-1910)

The Ancient Chinese considered watermelon to have cooling and moistening properties and to be useful for removing heat, including summer heat problems.

In this recipe, watermelon is combined with strawberry, another fruit with cooling and moistening properties, together with a little rose water, to create a naturally sweet and refreshing juice with a delicately exotic flavour, ideal for a hot summer day.

It is important to note that fruit juices of all descriptions contain fast-releasing sugars and should not be consumed to excess or in place of whole fruits. If you are suffering from type 2 diabetes you need to be particularly mindful of this. 

That said, this particular juice contains only one-third of the total sugars found in an equivalent volume of unsweetened orange juice and one-quarter of the total sugars found in an equivalent volume of cola. It is also rich in nutrients which are beneficial in blood sugar regulation. More details are provided below.

This juice is thus ideal for occasional consumption as part of a whole plant-based diet. 

Recipe

Serves 1

Ingredients

• 1 slice (200 g) watermelon
• 12 (120 g) strawberries
• 1-2 tsp rose water
• 1 sprig fresh mint to garnish
• Serve with ice cubes

Method

1. Place watermelon and strawberries in a juicing machine and collect the juice.
2. Add rose water to taste
3. Serve with ice cubes and a sprig of fresh mint

Nutrients and health benefits

Key nutrients in this watermelon, strawberry and rose water crush are shown in the table below.

This refreshing juice contains over 91 per cent water and is relatively low in calories.

Sugar content

As mentioned above, fruit juices can be high in fast-releasing sugars and it is best not to consume them to excess.

This watermelon, strawberry and rose water crush is, however, relatively low in sugars compared with unsweetened orange juice and with commercial soda drinks such as cola. It is therefore a better choice than orange juice to quench your thirst.

Vitamins and minerals

Remarkably, it contains almost three times the daily guideline amount of vitamin C and over half the daily guideline amount of vitamin B6.

Vitamin B6, or pyrodoxine, is an extremely important B vitamin involved in the formation of body proteins and structural components, neurotransmitters such as serotonin, red blood cells and prostaglandins. Vitamin B6 is also critical in maintaining hormonal balance and immune function.

Deficiency of vitamin B6 is characterised by depression, convulsions (especially in children), glucose intolerance, and impaired nerve function.

This drink is also a rich source of potassium, providing 11 per cent of the recommended daily intake of potassium.

Researchers recommend a dietary potassium to sodium ratio greater than 5 to 1 to maintain optimum health. In this recipe, the ratio of potassium to sodium is 35 to 1.

Potassium is the most important dietary electrolyte and is essential for the conversion of blood sugar into glycogen, which is the storage form of glucose found in the muscles and liver. A shortage of potassium results in a lower level of stored glycogen which, in turn, results in great fatigue and muscle weakness.

Potassium deficiency is also marked by mental confusion, irritability, weakness, heart disturbances, and problems in nerve conduction and muscle contraction.

This drink is also a good source of vitamin A, through its relatively high carotenoid content.  It also has good levels of vitamin B1, folate, and magnesium.

Amino acids

L-citrulline is a naturally occurring amino acid found in high quantity in watermelon; it is found in other foods and is also made in the body. Our bodies change L-citrulline into another amino acid called L-arginine and also to nitric oxide. L-citrulline might help increase the supply of ingredients the body needs to make certain proteins. It might also help open up veins and arteries to improve blood flow and reduce blood pressure and may also be useful in treatment of erectile dysfunction.

Watermelon juice was given to athletes and found to help to reduce the recovery heart rate and the muscle soreness after 24 hours.

Antioxidants

Watermelon is packed with some of the most important antioxidants in nature, including lycopene - the red carotenoid pigment, which is also found in tomato. Indeed, some studies suggest that watermelon contains even more lycopene than tomato.

Numerous studies correlate high intake of lycopene-containing foods or high lycopene serum levels with reduced incidence of cancer, stroke, cardiovascular disease, and macular degeneration. There has been particular interest in the protective effects of lycopene with respect to prostate cancer.

In Chinese medicine, watermelon is used to treat thirst, urinary difficulty, oedema, canker sores, depression, and kidney and urinary tract inflammations such as nephritis and urethritis.

It is not advised for those with weak digestion, anaemia, or excessive uncontrolled urination.

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