Vegan day 46: Homemade “healing” blackeye pea soup
Homemade soup is good for the soul isn’t it?
Yes it is! It was always my savior when I was feeling under the weather. For a couple of days now, I have been feeling that tickle in my throat- you know that final sensational warning saying “fix this now or I will take you out of commission for a few days.” Being that I don’t take antibiotics and that I pride myself on “never getting sick”- I take this warning seriously! A few things I do if I feel I am coming down with something:
- Gargle with salt and warm water (add thyme essential oil or a drop of grapefruit seed extract)
- Echinacea & Goldneseal tincture as directed on the bottle
- Infused tea of sage, thyme, yarrow, peppermint and fresh lemon
- Vitamin C powder
- Zinc lozengers
- My homemade soup
- Plenty of rest
Since I have changed over to a healthier way of eating, I really don’t get sick, however, if I try to do too many things at once, my body stresses and forces me to slow down. Just the other day I was practicing a few new time management techniques and reallocating my time much more efficiently. I decided on my own to cut an hour of sleep to compensate for the extra time to write a daily blog- I really never thought that one through lol. So I decide 7 hours of sleep is enough- sounds good right? Well, my body over-ruled me! She said not to make those kind of decisions for her anymore. Sleep is critical to optimum health. I happen to work nights so I actually DO need the extra hour of sleep. Perhaps Facebooking is not a priority, being that my time is better spent on school and work! My point is that many things factor into getting sick. We must all eat well, dress warm, limit stress, get plenty of sleep and balance our time well!
That being said- back to homemade soups!
Whenever, I wasn’t feeling well, chicken soup came to the rescue! I would eat a bowl or two with a few tablespoons of grated cheese and then pass out! Whoa- times have changed! First of all, the soup was probably healthy for my body and soul but the cheese for sure killed it with sodium, dairy and calories. Now that I am vegan, obviously all of my soups are vegetable based. Yes vegans– you must ask when you go out. Many restaurants make vegetable soups with chicken or fish stock. This recipe is vegan and made from scratch– no canned beans and no boxed vegetable broth or bouillon.
Homemade “healing” blackeye pea soup
Black eye peas dry (half package 80z)
American ginseng twigs (3 or 4 for energizing qualities)
Scallion (a few piesces chopped)
Onion (half)
Garlic cloves (7)
Ginger (1in. chopped)
Celery (4 medium stalks)
Quinoa (cup)
Carrot (1 large)
Daikon (1/4 piece)
Kombu (small piece)
Water
Crockpot
SOAK 1/2 package of dry black eye peas over night in purified water- Include a piece of kombu to balance out the gas effect of the beans and to add minerals for alkalinity. Next day fill a crockpot- pressure cooker 3/4 full with new water and the drained beans. This helps reduce flatulence as well but it is also good to get rid of some of the phytates and tannins in beans. Add the trinity roots: garlic, ginger, onions; a few scallions and the American ginseng (the ginseng is for energetic qualities- I don’t actually eat it.) “Ginseng is considered the king of all tonics. It provides a stimulation to the entire body energy to overcome stress and fatigue and to recover from weakness and deficiencies.” (Tierra 1998). Add in the celery and turn on the crockpot. 30 minutes later add 1 cup of dry quinoa, 1 carrot chopped and 1/4 daikon shredded. I added about 2 teaspoons of sea salt in the beginning; and then extra virgin olive oil and nutritional yeast on top for final seasoning in the bowl.
The greatest part about this soup is that I didn’t pass out- I actually made it to the gym for an hour and a half! I can thank all of the healing qualities of the fresh herbs and vegetables used here!
Note: I know people don’t want to hear about animal cruelty but every now and then I have to state the obvious and the not-so-obvious. I won’t get into the tremendous mainstream industry of commercial chicken raising with regards to their feed, hormones, antibiotics needed for survival or the abusive handling. I just want to mention some of the non-obvious things that I never knew.
- The next time you see a piece of paper– know that that is the size of the living quarters of a chicken.
- Their beaks are cut because of course they will peck at each other if they cross the 8 inches into one anothers aura- imagine?
- What I found most manipulating is that they fake the seasons and the lighting to have the chickens over produce in their quantity of eggs and quantity of egg laying time.
- And again, all boys of layers are destroyed.
References:
Tierra, M. 1998. The Way of Herbs. New York, NY: Pocket books.
Disclaimer: The information given here is for eductional purposes only. You should not use this to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified health care provider.
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