[DANIEL FAST] Summer Squash Broth & Green Soup | A Helping of Hope

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This is a lean, mean, adrenal-rescuing machine! (If you have kids into comic book heroes, perhaps you may call it “HULK soup”?) The adrenal glands help to regulate stress hormones; green soup is especially helpful for anyone recovering from sickness, pregnancy, or other stressors.

This is based on the Bieler Broth recipe from Dr. Sally Fallon’s seminal work, Nourishing Traditions (p.608, 2001).  The broth and soup are supposed to be very good for fasting and detoxifying the body, while supporting adrenal function (to reduce stress) and promoting overall wellness.  Dr. Fallon recommends adding 1 TBSP of whey to each 8oz (1 cup) of soup to assimilate the minerals better.

Overview: Boil vegetables in a pot of water for half an hour.  For vegetable broth, strain out the vegetables, store the broth in glass jars, and eat the vegetables separately; for soup, allow the to broth cool slightly and blend broth and vegetables together in a glass blender.  Serves four adults (or makes 2 quarts of broth).

Ingredients:

• 4 Summer Squash
• 1 lb Organic Green Beans (fresh or frozen)
• 2 Organic Celery stalks (4 if from celery “hearts”, which are cut shorter)
• 2 cups fresh Parsley leaves
• 3 sprigs of fresh Thyme
• 1 sprig of fresh Tarragon
• 1 tsp Real Salt
• 1/2 tsp Organic Ground Black Pepper
• 1 QT (4 cups) filtered water (no chlorine or fluoride)
• Fresh Lemon (Green soup option, see step 5b)
• Curry or Chili powder (Green Soup option, see step 5b)

Tools:

• Washtub or large bowl with warm water and 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar (optional)
• Kitchen towel (optional)
• Food Processor with slicing attachment (optional)
• Knife with chopping board
• Quart or cup measure
• Large pot with lid
• Cooking spoon
• Glass jars
• String
• Stainless Steel Sieve or colander  (optional)
• Glass Bowl or quart-size measuring jug (optional)
• Glass Blender with metal blades (use plastic only when liquid is cool)

Method:

1. Soak the summer squash in the ACV solution for 5 minutes.  Rinse and set aside.  Rinse the celery and herbs under running water and set them aside; tie the tarragon and thyme sprigs together with string.  If you bought your parsley in a bunch, separate the leaves from the stalks.  The easiest way is to run your pinched forefinger and thumb backwards along the stem from leaf end to stem end; the leaves should “pop off” as you do so.
   • TIP: Store excess fresh herbs in cold filtered water in a glass jar in the ‘fridge; make sure the water covers the herbs completely.  They should last for a couple of weeks in this condition, instead of only a couple of days if stored otherwise.  Excess parsley can also be hung upside-down using a rubber band suspended on a kitchen cabinet pull/knob; it will take several days to dry and can be crumbled into finer pieces.
2. Slice off ends of squash and celery and feed through a processor to slice; if you plan to eat the vegetables in the broth, you may wish to chop them more finely.  Chop your green beans into 1″ lengths (or more finely if you intend to eat them in the broth)
3. Add chopped vegetables to a large pot, followed by herbs, salt and pepper, and water.  It will look like there is barely any water in the pot; as the vegetables cook, the fluid level will increase.
4. Bring water to a boil then reduce to simmer (if any “scum” rises to the surface, skim it off with a spoon); allow the contents of the pot to simmer for half an hour with the lid on.
5. Decide whether you want to keep the broth (to use in lieu of chicken stock in recipes or as a foundation for other soups) or make Green Soup.
   • If keeping the broth, place a metal sieve or colander over a glass bowl or measuring jug; ladle the broth into the sieve to catch the vegetables and herbs.  Pour the broth from the bowl into glass jars.  Allow to cool before storing in the ‘fridge.  The strained vegetables can also be stored in glass jars and added to soups or served on the side of a main course.
   • If making Green Soup, carefully ladle the hot contents of the pot into a glass blender and blend until homogeneous.  You may have to do it in several batches.  Try to get a good blend of vegetables in each batch so that the flavor is consistent.  (If using a plastic blender, you will have to wait for the broth to cool–two hours–before blending and storing or reheating).  Serve immediately.  Store excess soup in glass jars in the ‘fridge for a quick pick-me-up at lunch.  Green soup can taste fairly bland; consider adding a squeeze of fresh lemon juice with extra salt and pepper (to taste), or add 1/4 tsp of curry or chili powder per cup of prepared soup.