Feeling under the weather and taken a day off, only to realise you haven't done any shopping? Don't panic! This store cupboard soup recipe will nourish, soothe, warm and help you heal, all in one go. All you need is:
- One chicken or veg stock cube, or some Marigold Bouillon, preferably Organic, or a dessert soon of Miso paste
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- a knob of fresh ginger, if you have it
- half a tsp of tumeric powder, or a grating of fresh if you have it
- a pinch of chili flakes, dash of Tabasco, or one fresh chili - whole but pierced with a knife
- a handful of dry quinoa, buck wheat noodles, or a potato, peeled and chopped
- half an onion or 2-3 of spring onions
- a glug of olive oil
- a handful of veg - what ever you have left over - green leaves, carrot, broccoli, pepper, or even just some peas from the freezer.
Method:
Put the kettle on to boil. Roughly chop the onion and sweat it slowly in the olive oil, adding the garlic after a minute or 2. Grate in the ginger, add the tumeric and chili and mix. Add the dry quinoa, or the chopped potato and crumble in the stock cube or powder. If using Miso, wait until the very end when the soup has come off the heat. Add about 750 ml of boiling water to the pan and stir. Add the noodles now if using. Cook until the potato is soft or the quinoa has split (or noodles ready, obvs). Add the chopped carrots, followed by the broccoli and finally the shredded greens, which only need to be blanched. Remove from the heat and add fish sauce or sesame oil to taste. Add chili sauce or Sriracha as desired!
Hopefully, you can adapt this recipe to what you have in - add any additional protein you may have have such shredded cooked chicken or pieces of tofu. When your feeling rubbish, it's hard to be inventive, but hopefully you can rustle this one up in no time. The onions and garlic are anti-viral and anti-inflammatory, and along with the vitamin C in the veg and the warmth of the slightly spicy stock, you can go back to bed with some of natures best immune supporters firmly on your side ;-)
If you make a big pot, there'll be enough for dinner too.