Savvy Veg Cabbage Soup Diet Alternative Recipe

      

Cabbage Soup a la Savvy Veg - Six large or twelve small servings

This delicious, nutritious cabbage soup is the Savvy Vegetarian alternative to the cabbage soup diet recipe. This recipe has oil, protein and carbs, lots of fiber, plus vitamins and minerals. With the oil, the beans, and the grains, it has approximately 1200 - 1300 total calories. Note that there are no onions in this recipe - they're major gas producers, and potent in combination with beans and cabbage. Try to use at least a few of the gas reducing ingredients: seaweed, bay leaf, hing, fennel, cumin, ginger in your cabbage soup.

By the way, I don't recommend the cabbage soup diet - see my article about it - but if you want a low cal, filling, balanced and nourishing vegan meal, here it is. If you insist on eating soup all day long for a week, at least you can vary the greens, the beans and the grains to relieve the monotony. If you're not dieting, this soup goes well with a salad; bread and cheese or hummus; a sandwich or wrap; and makes a great start to a full meal. If you don't have all the ingredients, feel free to omit and substitute - that's what soup is all about! This recipe adapts very well to a slow cooker. Just throw everything in at once, put it on low, come home from work and eat it.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups water
• 1/3 cup brown rice, pearl barley, or 1 cup whole wheat pasta
• 1 small strip kombu seaweed
• 1 can Great Northern beans, pinto beans or garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• *If you want to cook your own beans, see the directions below
• 1 - 2 Tblsp olive oil or other vegetable oil
• 1 pinch hing (asefetida) or 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tbslp minced fresh ginger, or 1/2 tsp dried
• 1/2 head green cabbage, cut in half lengthwise, cored and cut in thin strips
• *For variety substitute savoy or napa cabbage, or 1 bunch kale or collard greens. Remove stems and chop in thin strips.
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced thinly on the diagonal
• 1/2 tsp dried ground fennel
• 1/2 tsp gr cumin
• 1/2 tsp gr coriander
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried marjoram
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 16 oz can crushed tomatoes, or tomato sauce or 4 oz can tomato paste
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 Tblsp miso or Braggs liquid aminos
• 4 Tblsp minced fresh parsley

Instructions:

1. Add the grain to the water, with the kombu, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and turn down to simmer
2. Prep the veggies
3. Heat the oil on medium in an 8 - 10 quart pan
4. Add the hing or garlic, and the fresh ginger to the oil, saute for a minute
5. Add the veggies and saute 5 minutes on med/high heat
6. Add the herbs and spices, saute briefly.
7. Add veggie mixture to the soup
8. Drain and rinse the beans, then add to the soup
9. Add the tomatoes, and bring back to a boil
10. Simmer 20 min - 1/2 hour, until veggies are tender and the grain is cooked
11. Add salt, pepper, Miso or Braggs, and minced fresh parsley as a garnish

Bean Cooking Instructions:

1. Note - This makes enough beans for a second batch, to freeze, or make a double soup recipe. Using a pressure cooker greatly reduces cooking time, but don't omit the soaking!
2. Soak 1 c. of beans: 12 hours for garbanzos, 8 hours for white beans, 4 hours for pinto or kidney beans.
3. Use hot water & change several times to cut soaking time in half
4. Drain & rinse the soaked beans, cover with cold water to cover, and bring to a boil
5. Boil ten minutes, and skim the foam
6. Cover and simmer for 1 - 2 hours, until very tender

Note: If you're going to soak and cook beans, it's worth making extra, to freeze in small amounts for future meals.

For more detailed advice on cooking and eating beans:
How To Eat Beans Without Gas

More great soups and stews from Savvy Vegetarian:

• Cream of Broccoli Soup
• Crockpot Chickpea Curry
• Easy Vegetable Curry
• Kidney Bean Soup
• Red Lentil Soup
• Lentil Potato Cauliflower Soup
• Vegan Barley Bean Vegetable Soup
• White Bean Italian Style Soup
• Zoe's Vegetarian/Vegan Chili

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