Don't get me wrong, I fully enjoy holiday treats or just sweets in general, but they still should be enjoyed sparingly even when you make them with healthy unrefined ingredients. My hubby and I love to splurge once a week on a heavier meal (usually meat and higher fat foods) and one of my homemade gluten-free tasty treats, but the rest of the time we stick to the basics and keep it simple: brown rice, quinoa, veggies, and beans. It gives our sensitive stomachs a break from hard to digest rich foods and it makes those splurge eats and treats even more enjoyable! So this year keep a more balanced ratio of healthy foods and holidays splurges by cooking more simple meals at home. Here is just one of the many simple and healthy meals I will be sharing this season.
Aduki Bean Soup with Cabbage Salad
Serves 4
- Add 2 cups dry Aduki beans and 8-10 cups water in a cooking pot.
- Bring to a boil, then turn down to low and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. These beans are great because of their short cooking time.
- At the end of the cooking time season with desired amounts sea salt, ground black pepper, granulated garlic, and oregano.
- Add fresh chopped cilantro and onion to the beans and serve with a scoop of brown rice or quinoa
- Then top it off with the prepared cabbage salad.
Prepare the cabbage salad while beans are cooking:
- For 15 minutes soak 1/2 cabbage head, 2 carrots, green onion bunch, and aduki bean sprouts (any bean sprouts will work) in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon unrefined Apple Cider Vinegar and water to remove all bacteria and parasites.
- Rinse veggies and finely chop the cabbage, grate the carrots, chop the green onion, then add all chopped veggies and sprouts together in a large bowl.
- Add sea salt and about a half teaspoon each of cayenne, chili powder, and paprika to the salad.
- Add less of the seasonings if you do not handle heat well, it can be spicy.
- Add fresh squeezed juice of 2 lemons.
- With clean hands or spoon mix all salad ingredients together.
I like to add the cabbage salad to the bean soup with the quinoa or brown rice and eat it all together in one big soup bowl. For healthy fats I add a teaspoon of olive oil or some fresh sliced avocado on top. This meal has so many great flavors and they all come together very nicely. So eat up and enjoy, I know I did!
Fun Health Facts:
- Aduki beans detoxify the body, reduce swelling and inflammation, and promote weight loss.
- Aduki beans and all sprouts are easier to digest than other beans and legumes.
- Cabbage improves digestion, beautifies the skin, and purifies the blood. It can be used to treat constipation, the common cold, cough, and even mental depression or irritability.
- Carrots are one of the richest sources of the anti-oxidant beta carotene which protect against cancer and other diseases.
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