Antiguan Black Bean Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1/2 pound dried black beans cooked according to package directions, or two 16-ounce cans drained black beans
Freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 bay leaf
2 quarts water
1 cup short-grain brown rice, cooked
Fresh parsley, chopped

In a large saucepan, combine olive oil, green pepper, 1 ½ tablespoons onion, and garlic. Sauté until tender. Stir in precooked or canned black beans, pepper, vinegar, and bay leaf. Add water and then simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove bay leaf before serving. Top with remaining onion and brown rice. Garnish with parsley.

Chicken Vegetable Soup

1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium turnip, diced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 tsp. each of dried thyme, tarragon, and parsley
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. honey
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
5 cups low-sodium or reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
1 lb. chicken breast, cooked and chopped
1 medium zucchini, quartered and sliced
1 medium yellow summer squash, quartered and slice

Place all vegetables except zucchini, summer squash, and 2 Tbsp. of the chicken broth in a large pot. Cook covered over medium heat till vegetables are tender, about 30–40 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. Uncover and add rest of ingredients. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional Facts per Serving

Calories: 230
Calories from Fat: 35
Total Fat: 3.5g
Saturated Fat: 1.5g
Cholesterol: 70mg
Sodium: 290mg
Total Carbohydrate: 16g
Dietary Fiber: 3g
Sugar: 9g
Protein: 32g

Miso Vegetable Soup

3 quarts water
2 onions, chopped
3 carrots, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
10-15 mushrooms, cut in quarters
4 tsp. miso (found in any specialty foods store or Asian supermarket)
1/2 cup cooked brown rice or barley
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Bay leaf (optional)
Fresh parsley, watercress, or scallions, chopped (optional)

Bring water to boil and add chopped onions, carrots, and garlic; cover and simmer until tender. Meanwhile, sauté mushrooms gently in sesame oil and add them to water. Add miso and simmer for five to ten minutes; do not boil. Add pepper, salt, bay leaf, and dash of sesame or olive oil if desired. Add rice or barley. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley, scallions, or watercress.

Makes 6 servings

Nutrition Facts Per Serving

Calories 80
Total Fat 3 g
Saturated Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 160 mg
Total Carbohydrate 12 g
Dietary Fiber 2 g
Sugars 4 g
Protein 3 g

Sea Vegetable Soup

1 cup various sea vegetables (dulse, kelp, wakame, kombu, etc.)
3 quarts spring water
3 tbsp. toasted sesame seed oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 1/2 cups broccoli, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. marjoram
Dash of cayenne pepper, freshly ground pepper, or ginger
2 tbsp. miso
Fresh parsley, chopped
Optional ingredients: mushrooms, potatoes, brown rice

Soak sea vegetables for 30 minutes and discard water (this takes out the excess sodium). Place in spring water and simmer. Sauté onion, carrot, broccoli, and garlic for five minutes, or until onions are partially translucent. Add vegetables to spring water with remaining ingredients except miso. Simmer for 30 minutes. Turn off heat. Remove one-half cup of liquid and dissolve miso in it. Return to soup and heat for three minutes. Do not boil. Adjust seasonings to taste. Garnish with parsley.

This recipe, with slight modification, was taken from Fighting Radiation with Foods, Herbs, and Vitamins-Documented Natural Remedies that Boost Your Immunity & Detoxify (Vitality, Ink., 1990) by Steven R. Schechter, N.D.

Tangy Hot and Sour Soup

As you may know, I introduced my PAMM (Pan-Asian Modified Mediterranean) diet in the October 2002 issue of my newsletter. As I explained in the newsletter, PAMM represents an extension of the modified Mediterranean diet I've endorsed for years, not an abandonment of it. I especially like tofu (soybean curd) because it's a good source of alpha-linolenic acid-a key omega-3 building block. But Mediterraneans don't eat much soy. What to do? Choose the best of both worlds!

In the October issue, I provided several authentic Japanese recipes from my friend and Japanese cooking mentor, Chizuko. Although hot and sour soup is traditionally a Chinese dish, it fits right in with my PAMM philosophy, so I'm including it here.

6 cups beef stock (or 3 14.5-oz. cans beef broth)
1 small can water chestnuts
12 fresh shiitake mushrooms, chopped
1 1/8 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
8 oz. firm or extra-firm tofu sliced into small cubes
1 1/4 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1/3 pound coarsely chopped spinach
1 DHA-fortified egg, beaten
1/2 tsp. chili oil (or more or less to taste)
1 tsp. sesame oil

Bring broth to boil in large pan. Add mushrooms, water chestnuts, and ginger. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add beaten egg and stir gently. Once the bits of egg have cooked, add tofu, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and spinach. Turn off heat and allow soup to come to serving temperature. Once it has cooled, stir in the oils and serve.

Vegetable Soup

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup shredded cabbage
2 stalks celery, chopped
10-oz. package sliced fresh mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, shopped
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
½ tsp. dried rosemary
½ tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. honey
¼ tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
4 cups low-sodium or reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 14.5oz. can unsalted stewed tomatoes, undrained

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat and lightly sauté all vegetables except corn till tender. Add seasonings, corn, broth, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1 hour uncovered. Discard bay leaf before serving.

Makes 4 servings

Nutrition Facts Per Serving

Calories 210
Calories from Fat 80
Total Fat 9 g
Cholesterol 5 mg
Sodium 190 mg
Total Carbohydrate 28 g
Dietary Fiber 5 g
Sugars 11 g
Protein 8 g