Immune Boosting Soup for the Cold & Flu Season
Who doesn’t want to eat a warm bowl of soup on a cold dreary winter day? Not only is it a comforting meal in the winter, but it’s also a great way to boost your immune system while everyone around you is getting sick.
This immune boosting soup recipe is adapted from Lucy Burney’s book, Boost Your Child’s Immune System. I’ve added several of my own ingredients to it. Feel free to play with the ingredients and ratios depending on what you have in the fridge. In the past I’ve also added a 1/2 cup of millet grain and/or a head of cauliflower. This soup is delicious and a great meal for the whole family. Scoop some soup out of the pot and puree it for babies. 
Ingredients:
1 Large Onion, finely diced
1-2 Sticks Celery, diced
1 TBSP Olive Oil
1 tsp Flaxseed Oil
3 Handfuls Chopped Shitake Mushrooms
1 lb. Ground Chicken
5-6 Cloves Garlic, crushed
1 tsp Fresh Squeezed Ginger
2-3 Large Carrots, finely chopped
1 Sweet Potato, finely chopped
1/2 Cup Barley
1 Cup Red Lentils
4-5 TBSP Tomato Paste
1 Head Broccoli, broken/chopped into small florets
Salt to Taste
Fresh Parsley for Garnish, chopped
Directions:
1. Begin by sauteing the chopped onions and celery in the olive oil and flaxseed oil in a large pot until the onions are transparent.
2. Add the mushrooms, garlic, and ginger to the pot. A tip for using ginger: I keep my ginger in the freezer. I defrost it before using it and crush it in a garlic press to get the juice out. Freezing and defrosting the ginger breaks it down a bit and allows the juice to be easily squeezed out. Cook until you see the mushrooms release some juice, adding a little salt to the mixture helps.
3. Now add the ground chicken to the pot. Mix the chicken continuously over medium-high heat until it’s broken into small pieces. A potato masher can also help with breaking the chicken up into smaller pieces. Heat the chicken over medium-high heat until it’s mostly cooked.
4. Add the chopped carrots, sweet potato, barley, and lentils to the pot and fill the pot almost to the top with water. Add the tomato paste and mix the soup with a whisk to dilute the tomato paste. You can whisk the tomato paste in some water before adding it to the pot. Simmer the soup for about 40 minutes.
5. Add the broccoli florets into the pot and simmer for an additional 5-10 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Garnish the soup with some chopped parsley, which is a very nutrient dense herb.
Perullo Press 