Soup Recipe #1: Don't Be Scared of the Cabbage!

    My daughter has told me a few times that I need to post my soup recipes, specifically this one.  This recipe is one I came up with a couple of years ago when a neighbor brought us a huge wheel of green cabbage her father had grown and she cut it up to share with people.  The amount she gave us was about 1/3 of the cabbage and it was HUGE!!!  As I was thinking about what to do with it, this just kind of came together.  Besides the cabbage, there is a beautiful variety of root vegetables used and the flavor is just lovely.

    If you're not a cabbage person, try and give this a chance.  It really is wonderful, and I'm not saying that because this is my recipe.  Besides loving the flavor, one reason this has been a hit with my daughter is that no matter what state her health is in and what foods her body is rejecting, or if due to a fuller allergy bucket she just needs to eat really simply, her body responds well to it.  I don't know all the reasons, but I do feel that part of it is that it is so simple and light, easy to digest, etc.  Calorie-wise this is about as guilt-free as you can get; I don't use potatoes in this one so there really isn't anything to watch as far as starches go.  Did you know that you actually burn calories when you chew celery?  True story--it takes more calories to chew it than what is in the celery in the first place.

    A really telling fact that showed us how beneficial it is was that during the demolition that went on after the laundry flood, while she pretty much had to camp outside, she was feeling really crappy because of the initial exposure she got to the chemicals they used. We had a camp stove, etc. set up outside and I pretty much kept this soup going as a staple.  She couldn't get enough of it and it helped her to feel better.

    I also think that a key to the flavor and benefit is the fennel. Fennel is really good for inflammation and pain; I've used fennel essential oil on her when she has had a lot of abdominal and/or ovarian pain, and it has helped a lot.  Fennel compliments the cabbage beautifully; there's something about the combination of the two that is just really lovely.  As I was thinking of what to do with that huge cabbage, I kept remembering a time when I lived in England for a year and a half and boiled cabbage was a mainstay that a lot of people used as a side dish to dinner (excuse me, tea--not dinner! ;) ).  I had many invitations to dine with people and to me the cabbage always tasted really good.  This was pretty amazing because I had never been a cabbage fan--HATED coleslaw, etc.  As I was thinking back to this time I remembered that there were usually little seeds in the cabbage and realized that it was fennel, and THAT was the taste that had been missing whenever I tried doing boiled cabbage myself (usually after it was boiled, it was drained and tossed with butter, salt and pepper)--you boil the fennel WITH the cabbage.  When you make this soup, you can just use fennel seeds or you can also cut up fresh fennel--I use the green tops (including the feathery looking part) and chop them up the same way you would with green onions.  I use the bulb part of the fennel to add to pot roast, putting it in with the carrots, potatoes and onions.

So, with that said, here's the recipe:

Heidi's Feel-Better Soup

32 oz. safe-for-you chicken broth (we use Kitchen Basics)

32 oz. water

medium onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

medium large turnip, peeled and chopped

3-4 carrots, peeled and chopped
(Optional: 2 stalks bok choy, chopped - how much I put in usually depends on how much celery I have. If I don't have enough celery, then I supplement with bok choy.)

1/2 green stalks of fennel, chopped

1/3 of medium green cabbage, cut into 1" pieces

2-3 Tbsp. dried parsley

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2-3 Tbsp. dried fennel seeds (you can add more if you aren't using fresh fennel as well)

Put broth, water and spices into large pot (I use the standard two-handled one that came in my set of pots and pans).  Add vegetables in order listed while bringing to a boil.  Turn down and simmer until all the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes (longer if needed), adjusting spices if necessary to your taste.  Cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.

    For those of you who may not know what fresh fennel or bok choy looks like (I know I didn't when first using them!), here are some pictures. :)

This is fresh, feathery-topped fennel.

This is bok choy. Or, Chinese cabbage.