Everyone can get all the health support they need by just eating real food. Shunning whole food for pills, powders, or potions is missing a huge opportunity for dietary diversity. Flavourful food is one of the great joys of life.
Everyone can get all the health support they need by just eating real food. Shunning whole food for pills, powders, or potions is missing a huge opportunity for dietary diversity. Flavourful food is one of the great joys of life.
So what’s the man (yes, I’ve been watching Game of Thrones) to do when given an infinite choice of delicious whole foods to choose from? You could Google “most nutritious food” and find a recipe that way, but luckily, I’m here to give you a recipe that includes two incredibly delicious and nutrient-dense ingredients: garlic and kale.
Garlic has been a favourite medicinal ingredient for years. It’s proven to have disease fighting properties and can lower blood pressure and cholesterol. It’s also high in vitamins C, B1 and B6, calcium, potassium, copper, manganese, and selenium. Kale is packed with fibre, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. All of kale’s brassica family are very nutritious but for building strength, kale is the best of the bunch.
Bringing these two flavoursome ingredients together, I give you Roasted Garlic Soup with Kale Crisps. The soup is luxurious, and the kale crisps are a fantastic alternative to a carb-heavy crouton for crunch.
Roasted Garlic Soup
I have combined two cooking methods for the enormous garlic content to really showcase the flavour and pack in the goodness. Warning: this soup must only be consumed if you are alone or have a mutual accord regarding breath with your companion.
Ingredients:
- 5 whole heads of garlic
- 1 onion
- 1 knob of butter
- 500ml chicken or vegetable stock
- 250ml whipping cream
- Few sprigs of fresh thyme
- Juice of half a lemon
- Teaspoon of olive oil.
Method:
- Heat your oven up to 160 degress Celsius. Chop the very top of four of the heads of garlic.
- Drizzle a little olive oil into each, then place in an ovenproof dish in the oven to roast for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat a saucepan over a low heat. Halve then finely dice the onion, and put the butter and chopped onions into the saucepan. Pop the lid on and leave to slowly tick as the garlic roasts, stirring occasionally.
- After 30 minutes, take the four heads of garlic out of the oven and set them aside to cool a little.
- Peel and finely chop all of the cloves on the fifth and final head of garlic and add to the onion pan. Cook for 3 more minutes.
- Squeeze the soft, slightly caramelized cloves of roasted garlic straight out of the skin into the saucepan and give it a good stir. Now add the stock and fresh thyme. Bring to the boil then simmer with the lid on for 5 minutes.
- Take the pan off the heat and remove the thyme. Purée using an immersion blender or liquidizer whilst gradually adding the cream.
- Finish with the lemon juice, season, and enjoy.
Kale Crisps
You can buy washed and chopped kale in a bag from most supermarkets these days, making this recipe a trifling affair. If you can’t find the prepared stuff, just get a head of kale or cavelo nero. In that case, remove the woody rib, tear it into small pieces, then rinse and dry thoroughly.
Ingredients:
- 1 bag or 1 head of kale
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- Sea salt to season.
Method:
- Heat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Spread the kale in a thin layer on a baking sheet or tray.
- Drizzle with the oil and toss to coat.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the extremities catch a little colour.
- Empty the kale into your serving bowl and sprinkle with salt.
Serve together. Boom – done.
Want to discover more delicious foods with medicinal properties?
