The meat turned out grrrreat. The gravy … not so much. So I shredded a little of the meat into the gravy … made all the difference. Asparagus (not my favorite veggie) seems to need something more than merely garlic and butter .
And I forgot about dessert, so along the way, against my normal principles, I picked up a ready made sweet potato pie. But I suspect the Lambrusco was appreciated most.
And the tomato paste didn’t overpower anything. I suspect it could have used twice as much, just to be noticed.
One must wonder why it is that a city can have so many “for the homeless” programs (mostly due to Christian churches) and yet have so very few prevention programs for such a disease. The real answer to that is easy to figure out, but … … it’s Christmas.
A soup for extremely low calorie diets and sore throats:
Chicken bouillon, 4 cups (preferably sodium free)
Garlic, powder 1/4 tsp
Onion, powder 1/2 tsp
Arugula, 5 oz, lemon or vinegar soaked to remove bitterness
Watercress, 5 oz, lemon or vinegar soaked to remove bitterness
Bok choy, 1 cup chopped
Cayenne pepper, tad
Taco sauce, 1 tbsp
Barbecue sauce, tsp
Boil Arugula with the bouillon, spices. Add chopped bok choy and watercress afterward so as to preserve nutrients and texture.
If less calorie conscious; water chestnuts, chopped onion, celery, zucchini, and/or shirataki noodles can be added. And to round out to a more substantial meal, ground flaxseed.
Actually, I woke up with a sore throat this morning, and when I saw that recipe I felt addressed and decided to try it out, although I don’t like soups very much. And the ingredients seemed strange to me. Arugula I only knew as salad, Taco- and Barbecue sauce I never used before and Bok choy wasn’t available here. So I took a different Chinese cabbage and added zucchini and some shirataki noodles.
Well, my sore throat developed into a bad head cold over the day, but the soup definitely helped to ease the pain.
People have sore throats for different reasons. Some have thyroid problems. Some have “flu” infections. Some have both. Some have other infection issues.
In general, low calorie, watery soups are helpful against infections. And this one is helpful for the thyroid for other reasons.
Out of curiosity, when the head ache came, did the throat ease any? If not, I would guess either an infection, an allergy to one of the ingredients, or a sudden rehydration effect if the hydration had been low.
I had a headache for the last two days, no thyroid problems (anymore), but when I woke up with the sore throat this morning, the headache was gone, instead I got this flu-symptoms, blocked nose and ears, by now also no sense of smell and taste. I went to the doctor, because I didn’t feel like working and needed a sick leave. He said it’s an infection and gave me antibiotics, but I won’t take them, it’s not that dramatic, just a usual cold.
I forgot to mention capers. They add a nice touch to the flavor.
There are 3 basic wisdoms for having many ingredients in meals:
As mentioned earlier, keeping the cook occupied. Despite concerns and complaints, occupation doing something seemingly constructive is paramount to life and especially to oppressed or depressed people.
Having many ingredients, especially spices allows for variation in personal flavor preferences. Add a little more of this and a little less of that so as to suit the receiving palette.
Most importantly, yet seldom realized, is that having many ingredients allows for the wisdom of miscegenation of preferences so that an old standard (e.g. Texas Fried Oatmeal meat eater) can be carefully massaged into a new standard (Arugula soup) without too much rebellion from the palette. Try to tell a hearty meat eater that eating a hand full of leaves is healthier and you aren’t likely to get an agreeable reception. But if the variety of meats, vegetables, and spices are properly altered through time, more and less of this and that day after day, the strict meat eater can gradually become a strict vegetarian without ever feeling like he has really lost anything (the same strategy being used to infuse and blend your cultures and races into tomorrow’s designated preference without stirring a rebellion - whether good or evil).
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