My dear husband is about to enter the toughest work schedule of his work year. He works in distribution for a floral wholesale company and the two weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day are … let’s just say, “challenging” to keep this post G-Rated.
We’ve been eating a lot more soups lately since we just finished our annual 21 day cleanse. I thought with the heavy work load he has on deck, I should make a batch of the Immune Boosting Soup or “Healing Soup” as we usually refer to it. Plus, with all of the Coronavirus hype and flu season hype, my philosophy is always – the best defense is a good offense. We focus on keeping our immune system strong. I feel like I post this soup every year around this time, but like I said, something was telling me to make it and one thing I know for sure is that I LISTEN to my intuition. So I thought I would share the love and post the recipe again. Your cells will thank you later.
This tasty soup can be used if you are already feeling ill and want to speed up your recovery or as a preventative. Don’t be alarmed by the amount of garlic and onions. The flavors mellow out quite a bit with sautéing and slow cooking.
Old Fashioned Garlic and Onion Soup for colds, flu, respiratory infections or for prevention especially in winter season.
- 4 large white or yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 2 whole heads of garlic, separated and peeled
- 2 tsp. thyme
- 4 tbs. olive oil
- 6 cups vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- bay leaf
- 2 tbs. honey
- 4 tbs. each fresh basil and parsley
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
- sea salt, fresh ground pepper to taste
In a large stockpot sauté the onions, garlic, and thyme in olive oil until golden brown. This step sweetens and mellows the intensity of the garlic and onions. (To peel garlic cloves, smash the individual cloves with the flat side of a chef’s knife and slip out of the skins.) Add the vegetable stock, white wine, and bay leaf. Slowly cook for 2 to 3 hours or overnight in a crockpot. Strain liquid, and then add honey, fresh basil and parsley, sea salt, fresh ground black pepper and cayenne.
Onions and garlic are both antibacterial in action, as is the herb thyme. Cayenne pepper is recommended if there is a fever present, while basil and parsley are detoxifying herbs. I also probably double the amount of thyme and I use fresh. Thyme has the ability to kill off bacterial and viruses. One of my favorite sources for information, Anthony Williams has a great blog all about the healing properties of thyme. This is an excellent soup to drink during any type of infection or cold, or to simply enjoy as a first course to a meal.
I tend to sauté the onions till wilted, add the garlic and then finish it in the slow cooker for about 8 hours. We don’t even bother to strain it. It’s like eating onion soup without the toast and melted cheese.
You’ll also keep the vampires away! Enjoy!
