Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Creamy Raw Vegan Zucchini Soup With Crushed Pistachios - Can Turmeric Fight Cancer And Prevent Alzheimer's?




Turmeric and its Many Health Benefits
Turmeric is the spice that gives curry its gold color and contains the phytochemical compound, curcumin. It has been used as a powerful medicine in China and India for centuries. Turmeric has strong anti-inflammatory properties with no side effects. Although it has been used for numerous ailments from toothaches to rheumatoid arthritis, there has been some exciting research linking turmeric to the prevention of Alzheimer's disease and the ability to inhibit the development of many cancers including pancreatic, colon, prostate, liver, esophageal, and others. I'm very excited by these findings and started using more and more of this lovely and healthful spice. Here's an easy and delicious raw soup recipe that includes turmeric.

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Creamy Raw Zucchini Soup with Crushed Pistachios
[serves 4]
4 cups diced zucchini
1 1/3 cups frozen peas, thawed
1 cup diced celery
1 avocado
1 cup filtered water
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 to 3 cloves chopped garlic (to taste)
1 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme plus extra for garnish
1 teaspoon turmeric (or more to taste)
Several shakes black pepper (or cayenne if you prefer)
1/4 cup crushed raw pistachios

In a VitaMix or other high speed blender, process zucchini, peas, celery, avocado, water, lemon juice, garlic, salt, thyme, turmeric and pepper until smooth. Pour into 4 bowls and top each with 1 tablespoon of crushed pistachios, fresh thyme and additional fresh ground pepper, if desired.

Per serving: 163.6 calories, 9.0 g fat, 1.2 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 7.0 g protein, 17.7 g carbohydrates and 6.6 g of fiber.

7 comments:

Unknown said...

After mu husband's father succumbed to stomach cancer, my husband got obsessed with turmeric. I heard a lot of great things about this spice too, but, oh my, it stains my kitchens so badly. How do you remove turmeric stains from plastic? (I have some plastic on my stove top) Scrubbing helps but requires quite some effort. Stains on my favorite white robe are still there even after Shout stain remover.

Dr. Joanne L. Mumola Williams said...

Hi Elena,
It does stain! I even wear plastic gloves when massaging my turmeric dressing into raw kale.
Google "getting turmeric stains out of plastic" or "getting turmeric stains out of clothes" and you'll find many ideas - too many to list here. But be comforted that you are not alone!

Joanne

OzPolly said...

There is nothing in this soup that needs a high speed blender and it worked fine in a regular one. Freshly blended I found the pea flavour too dominant, but after chilling it was perfectly balanced and delicious.

The turmeric gives this soup a wonderful colour, very appetising! Thank you for the recipe.

Polly

RenshawTribe said...

I use baking soda to remove the stain on countertops. You can cover the stain and even add a little h2o or vinegar to make a paste and soon you will see the white paste turning yellow.

Dr. Joanne L. Mumola Williams said...

Good to know. Thanks!
Joanne

Unknown said...

Dr. Joanne,

I just made this soup (w/slight modification) and I am thrilled with the flavor. So tasty! I have been put on a strict plant based diet minus any added oils. This recipe fits perfectly into my life. Thank you! Modifications: dried thyme at the same measurement, vegetable broth in place of water, and no pistachios.

Dr. Joanne L. Mumola Williams said...

Glad you enjoyed it Nevaeh and good luck with your new diet! You will be able to find lots of recipes here to help you.
Enjoy!
Joanne