Vegan Cabbage Soup Recipe.
The best tasting vegan cabbage soup I have ever tried.
Health benefits of vegan cabbage soup.
Vegan friendly cabbage soup has had a great many claims made about it over the years relating to the health benefits of eating it by the bowlful, including helping you to lose weight, helping in the prevention of cancer, particularly colon cancer, helping with the treatment of Alzheimer’s and even slowing down the aging process. It all sounds just a little bit too good to be true, doesn't it? The fact is that this soup is indeed a very healthful food for various reasons, it is also very tasty and hearty, just the thing to warm you up on a cold winter's night. Will it deliver on all of its promises? Maybe, maybe not, but it is a great soup and well worth making and eating.
The proven health benefits of cabbage soup are as follows.
1) Cabbage soup is very high in both vitamin C and fibre. This makes it an excellent food for intestinal health and speedy transit. It might even help to prevent colon cancer. This speedy transit also helps with the relief of constipation.
2) Cabbage is very high in potassium, which is a vital ingredient in keeping the heart healthy. Potassium is also important for general muscle health. It can reduce the risk of stroke and help to prevent the formation of kidney stones.
3) Cabbage is a low glycemic vegetable. This means that cabbage soup can help to control blood sugar and insulin levels. Having a bowl or two of cabbage soup twice a week can really help to detox your system.
4) Phytonutrients found in cabbage help to stimulate your genes and encourage them to increase production of enzymes that help to detoxify your cells. This means that cabbage soup can help to remove potential carcinogens from your body.
5) Cabbage is a very low calorie food. Add that to its high levels of fibre and it can really help with weight loss. A bowl of cabbage soup really does leave you feeling full for hours.
6) Cabbage has a high antioxidantcontent. It helps to fight the free radicals that attack our bodies and can help in the fight againstageing.
Given all of the evidence maybe cabbage soup really is as good as it tastes.
I have personally tried and tested several different cabbage soups but have found this one to be the simplest to prepare and also the tastiest. It is also vegan friendly. I find it is always best to make soup from scratch, I know that tinned or packet soup is fast and convenient but when you make your own you know exactly what goes into it. This soup will keep in the fridge for three to four days and reheats really well without impairing the great flavour. I hope you enjoy this recipe, let me know what you think of it in the comments section below. Enjoy.
Ingredients
- 1 large green cabbage, roughly chopped
- 4 oz spinach leaves, chopped
- 2 sticks celery, thinly sliced
- 1 large white onion, thinly sliced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 pint vegetable stock
- 1 tsb black pepper
- pinch salt, to taste
- lemon zest, optional
Instructions
- In a large, heavy based pan bring the vegetable stock up to the boil. Add all of the other ingredients reduce the heat and simmer the cabbage soup for about twenty minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Remember to stir the cabbage soup occasionally to prevent it sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- When the soup is cooked lemon zest can be sprinkled on top to add some extra zing to it. Try serving the cabbage soup with some freshly made herb croutons too. Simply remove the crusts from thick sliced bread, cut the bread into cubes then shallow fry them until they are golden brown in a little olive oil and then sprinkle the cubes with chopped fresh herbs. You can use dried herbs if you don’t have any fresh ones handy.
Cook Time
A smooth version of cabbage soup.
This soup can be quite chunky and chewy, which can make it a little bit difficult to eat for the very young or the old. My mother in law loves the taste but in her own words finds it 'a bit heavy going' I found an easy solution is to put it in the blender and whiz it up until it is smooth. Tastes just as good and has just as much goodness in it but is much easier to eat.This smooth soup mixture also makes an excellent pasta sauce if you have any left over.