Healing Cabbage Soup!

Sometimes you have to lose something to gain something better. A door has to shut before a new door can open. 

I will be lying if I tell you that this "new normal" is working out 100%...but what I will tell you is my perspective is slowly shifting towards compassion, catharsis and community thinking from one of panic and a sense of frustration and hopelessness ( remember I live in a county which is severely affected by the Corona Virus!)

I am a lot more focused on health - Can you believe it I finally stopped worrying about learning choreos and actually took the plunge last week and took my first BollyX class virtually last week and the feeling of community in that virtual space was awesome - I was helping people connect with each other and with their fitness goals. I took a plank challenge with my son and I showed him who was the #Queen 😆...I have taken countless walks with my puppy, baked brownies, bonded with my family...my mother in law is here and it's been wonderful pulling her on this healthy journey with me --- in fact she has lost 4 lbs in 2 weeks and is dancing BollyX now.

This week and for the past couple others I have been making my " Healing Cabbage Soup" ....why healing because Cabbage is such a sidelined vegetable which is so good for our bodies. It is in the same family as Kale and Cauliflower but a way milder one when you cook with it...and at Trader Joe's for some reason had cabbage heads for $1/head (and guess what I picked up 3...no one else seemed to want them...)

Healing Cabbage Soup

What you need?

• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp Avocado Oil ( you can use whatever oil you have on hand or even ghee)
• 2 tablespoons or more Braggs Liquid Amino
• 2 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar (no idea why I added it but it sure made the soup taste awesome and hello! its good for us 😆)
• 2 Cartons Vegetable Broth or even water - I like the broth just because I have quite a few in my pantry that need to get used.
• 1 cup soaked Dhuli Moong Daal (the kind without the skin) - I soaked it in boiling hot water from the kettle for 1/2 hour 
• Chopped Vegetables -  1 head of Cabbage finely chopped, 1 bunch of organic celery from my farmer's market (yup! they are open, yup! people are too scared to go even though there is social distancing and yes they will probably go bankrupt if this continues and lose their livelihood...), 4 Organic Carrots, 1 bunch Organic Mint, 1 Chopped Red Onion, Minced Garlic
• Salt and Black Pepper to taste

How to make?

1. Turn the IP to Saute and add the oil/fat
2. Add the turmeric powder  and black pepper when the oil is sufficiently hot
3. Now add the minced garlic, celery and onion - saute till lightly browned
4. Add the rest of the vegetables and herbs, Saute for 2-3 minutes
5. Add the Broth and the liquid aminos and ACV
6. Now add the soaked moong dal
7. Set on  High Pressure for 8 minutes, No Release...yes! I know that seems like a lot but trust me on this one!
8. When it's all done use an immersion blender and puree the soup
9. Add Salt and Pepper to taste

I garnished it with some fresh garlic bread  and herbs from the Farmer's Market. It was such a soul-satisfying meal.

How are you spending your days? What are you doing to stay fit? I feel like how we shape our activities over the next month will shape a lot of how we build our mental and physical resilience to fight against depression, loneliness, burn-out, weight creep etc...we are in this together...hang in there and we will fight this virus together!