Craving a warm winter soup

Having moved from the sunshine state recently, these cold days in Texas are making me sometimes feel under the weather. I am a firm believer that a good diet is the most powerful tool to be healthy, and a healthy body begins with a healthy immune system. I was craving a warm comfy soup yesterday, so this is what I made:

Ingredients:

- 3 cups of water

- 1 tablespoon of olive oil

- 1 onion diced

- 5-6 cloves of garlic. Cut each clove in three pieces

- 1 inch of ginger root

- 1 cup of vegetable stock ( or two vegetable flavor bouillon cubes with 1 more cup of water)

- Japanese mushrooms (Maitake, Shiitake, Reishi, or Enoki) full of antioxidants, like erguthionerpe, that does not get destroyed during the cooking process, and great immune boosters. Here I used Shiitake

- celery and cilantro if desired

Directions:

- Heat olive oil in large pan. Add onions, garlic, and ginger, and cook for 3-4 minutes

- In a large pot mix what you have on the pan with the water and the vegetable stock. 

- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and then simmer for 20 minutes.

- Add the mushrooms and celery, cook for 15 more minutes

- Add cilantro and lime if you want when serving

(You can remove the garlic when serving, I prefer to swallow them for better health benefits).

Enjoy!

References:

S., W. (2002). Medicinal Mushrooms As A Source Of Antitumor And Immunomodulating Polysaccharides. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 60(3), 258-274.

Kyo, E., Uda, N., Kasuga, S., & Itakura, Y. (2001). Immunomodulatory Effects of Aged Garlic Extract1. The American Society of Nutritional Science, 131(3), 10755-10795.