I was eating dinner with Sam: homemade chicken soup with a slice of sourdough bread and melted butter. It was simple and delicious. We ate silently. Towards the end of the meal, he says to me, “We always eat our soup and bread silently because we are mentally calculating how to time the last bite so it’s perfect.”
LOL! So true. We usually chatter during meals, and tell funny stories, but when soup and bread hit the table, it all goes to silence. I like to time my last bite so it’s soup (to wash down the bread).
Regardless, about this homemade chicken soup…that’s what I really want to talk about. Tonight we made it differently than we usually do, with peas instead of celery (because you need something green) and with red onions instead of white. We also used grated cauliflower instead of rice, that was the biggest and most pleasant surprise because I didn’t have any idea how delicious it would be.
You can now buy grated cauliflower in bags in the produce department of your grocery store. Someone shoulda bagged this stuff decades ago!
Anyway, the cauliflower holds up remarkably well, even days later. It acts just like rice except with cauliflower you get the most incredible health benefits. It’s a crucifer, like its green cousins broccoli and Brussels sprouts, so it has the same cancer-fighting properties. I want you to start cooking with cauliflower today! Here’s why:
Cauliflower contains sulforaphanes, that’s the compound that gives it a funky sulfur smell. This compound has been isolated and studied. It clearly demonstrates cancer-fighting promise, especially for breast, prostate and other reproductive system cancers. This has been shown repeatedly, in both animal models and test tube studies.
Cauliflower contains antioxidants which neutralize free radicals. There are many, but among the more recognizable, we find quercetin, vitamin K, vitamin C, beta-carotene and kaempferol. That last one is incredible, it’s rarely talked about but kaempferol has evidence behind it to show that it can block VEGF production in your body and “suppress ovarian cancer cell metastasis in vitro” according to one research study. Another article suggests kaempferol could interact with estrogen receptors on the cell and slow the growth of cancer!
Cauliflower protects your bones because it is a rich, natural source of vitamin K and C, as well as minerals like potassium, manganese and phosphorus.
Cauliflower gives you a low-carb alternative for digestible fiber so it will help you achieve regular bowel movements, while eliminating toxins stuck in the deep crevices of your gut. In fact, sulforaphanes and glucosinolates found in cauliflower fight Helicobacter pylori, and that fact alone should reduce your risk of colon cancer.
Cauliflower contains I3C (Indole 3 Carbinol) which helps metabolize estrogen into anti-cancer by-products which is good for both men and women. I3C has been studied for its role in cholesterol and triglyceride synthesis. Studies prove it has a positive impact on your cardiovascular health and cholesterol ratio.
Here’s my “new and improved” chicken soup recipe using delicious grated cauliflower. If you’d like to see more delicious recipes using this amazing ingredient, simply search “cauliflower” on my website. In the meantime, substitute cauliflower for rice in recipes whenever you can, it’s an intelligent way to crank up antioxidants and reduce carbs and calories.
Suzy’s Homemade Chicken & Cauliflower Soup
Ingredients:
Water
1 cup frozen peas (thawed, put in at the end)
1/2 red onion
4 to 5 cloves crushed garlic
2 green onions, chopped
1 cup grated cauliflower
chicken (one of those packs from Whole Foods)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Salt and pepper
Directions:
Mix together and simmer until chicken is cooked. Remove and chop the chicken up. Return to pot and turn off heat, putting the parsley in last after the heat is off.
Suzy Cohen, has been a licensed pharmacist for over 30 years and believes the best approach to chronic illness is a combination of natural medicine and conventional. She founded her own dietary supplement company specializing in custom-formulas, some of which have patents. With a special focus on functional medicine, thyroid health and drug nutrient depletion, Suzy is the author of several related books including Thyroid Healthy, Drug Muggers, Diabetes Without Drugs, and a nationally syndicated column.
