FLOWER POT KITCHEN: PALEO IMMUNE BOOSTING BODY CLEANSING LIFE LOVING WATERCRESS AND CHORIZO SOUP

13 Jul 2014

PALEO IMMUNE BOOSTING BODY CLEANSING LIFE LOVING WATERCRESS AND CHORIZO SOUP

BOWL OF LIFE LOVING SOUP

Not only is this a super low calorie and carbs meal it is also packed with lots of life giving goodness with anit-cancer and immunity boosting phytochemicals from the watercress, the plant chloroplylls from the spinach suck up environmental toxins, chemicals and pesticides from your blood, antibacterial properties are found in the garlic and wonderful chest and heart protective effects from the onions, all this in a fabulous bowl of super life loving soup.

Per portion: 222kcal / 19.5g fat / 5.1g sat fat / 8.2g protein / 5.5g carbs / 3g fibre

My geeky bit...

Onion has vitamin C, B6, folic acid, phenolics, flavonoids, anit inflammatory, cholesterol lowering and antioxidant properties, powerful antibacterial and circulatory protectiveness. Garlic the King of healing has allicin and selenium, cleans the liver, fights food poisoning stomach bugs, anti bacterial, anti viral and anti fungal, reduces risk of clots and helps lower cholesterol and blood pressure and improves circulation. Chicken bone stock is proven to be 25% as effective as penicillin, anti viral and anti bacterial too. Watercress gives you (vitamin A, eaten raw), purifies blood and gives you iodine, antibacterial mustard oils, betacarotenes, iron, phenethy isothiocganate, vitamin C, E, iodine. Spinach regulates blood pressure, supports your immune system, neutralises heavy metals, chemicals and pesticides from your blood, powerful and protective for liver, high in chlorophyll these are what suck up environmental toxins from your blood stream.

INGREDIENTS

(serves 2)

1 onion chopped

2 cloves garlic grated

1 tsp coconut oil

2 large bunch of watercress

2 large handful of spinach

1 ltr of homemade chicken stock

1 chorizo cooking sausage

2 tbsp cream fraiche optional

salt and pepper optional

This is really quick and easy, slice the chorizo sausage and pan fry in the coconut oil until crispy, remove from the pan, I like to keep the fat from the chorizo in the pan to add flavour to the soup, but if you want to lower the fat in this dish remove, or even remove the chorizo all together, Gently soften the onions and garlic in the chorizo fat until translucent, add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer add the watercress and spinach and take of the heat, this is enough to cook the greens. With a stick blender whizz the soup until smooth, taste and season if needed. To serve load your bowl with this wonderful soup, stir in a spoonful of cream fraiche for that extra level of richness and sprinkle over some of the crispy chorizo and enjoy.

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LIFE MY PASSION

Welcome to my daily life of cooking, one winters day many years ago my family and I were all inspired by a back to back rainy day of River Cottage this got us to stop talking about and start actually doing, suddenly three weeks later eight vegetable beds were dug, greenhouse erected and our first vegetables were propagating, this was the start to raising and growing our own food, our fabulous son Oscar changed our path in life which lead us to sell our small thriving restaurant of 10 yrs and to start our new life (Terrifying!) a life of the self sufficient in touch with nature and seasons, taking a step back and looking forward to a slower change of pace and making the most of every moment.

My passion for cooking was stronger than ever and having time at home with Oscar I found I had a new direction and I was no longer striving for perfection, I was suddenly very passionate for the enjoyment of the other side of food, something I had not realised, being the Chef/Cook and every other duty of your own small restaurant made me see that I never actually took time to cook what I wanted!

So there I was muddy boots and hands digging deep in more than one sense and I found myself transported back in time to where everyone grew some of their own food, it is a wonderful world with a real sense of achievement and loss, Slugs Snails and Caterpillars! But thats another story! Childhood memories of summers when I lived with my grand parents reminded me of so much that I had learnt about the make do and mend generation that I had forgotten.

Now as a family we love our free wild food days where we gather what nature has provided, have gone from being mini mini garden urban small holders, who did raised pigs at home because we could not wait to find land and supporting ourselves from our garden to now owning a very small farm that allows us to grow more vegetables for the whole of our family and neighbours, raise our own gorgeous Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, (Sausages!) and pets! Dorset Down sheep, chickens for eggs and pet goats! Suddenly having large quantities of produce started to wake up the Cook in me!

The Cook was awake that part of me that wants to cook for the masses and I found myself setting up Flowerpot Kitchen, a Farmers Market Stall, I wanted to use our honest raised meats and make old fashioned pork pies, rabbit pies and game pies from the local game keeper along with old fashioned techniques and the best hot water crust pastry. This in turn grew to a small cottage industry from home weekly supplying three farm shops and a deli along with also attending three farmers markets A few years later there came a time when my son Oscar's health changed and it was an easy decision to stop.

I still hold the occasional pop up 40 seater restaurant or gourmet lunch which we do for local charities for the love of sharing food and to remind that Cook in me why I love our go slower self sufficient life!

So here I am sitting amoung the vegetables watching the chickens loving that every season nature teaches me something new and that nature is in charge! She has taught me to just go with it and grow. Give it a try from a tray of salad on your windowsill to a few tomato plants it all counts.