Taste Life Blog

CHERE’S GYPSY SOUP (CHERE’S FAVORITE FOOD GIFT IDEA)

Adapted from the original Gypsy Soup recipe from the Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen.

My mom taught us food is love! My favorite gift is this soup recipe with the ingredients. People need to eat. People don’t want more stuff. You are giving the gift of health and energy and encouraging people to eat foods they typically would not buy or eat like garbanzo beans* or turmeric.**

This soup is vibrant health in a hurry! I usually dump everything in the pot at once. You may sauté the onions, celery, sweet potatoes, garlic and green pepper and then add the rest of the ingredients.

2 tablespoons olive oil, if you want to sauté the veggies first, otherwise I omit
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup celery, chopped
1 green pepper, diced
2 large sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
1 teaspoon of turmeric, basil and cinnamon
1 can (28 ounces) stewed tomatoes
1 can (16 ounce) (garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
A dash of cayenne pepper
4 cups chicken broth or 4 cups water 4 chicken bouillon cubes
1 bay leaf (optional)

Sauté the onion, garlic, celery, green pepper, sweet potatoes in olive oil for 5 minutes. Add seasonings, chicken stock, or 4 cups water and 4 chicken bouillon cubes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the vegetables tender.

I love spice so I probably add 3 tsp of basil and 2 tsp of turmeric. Sometimes I add a can of pumpkin, or cubed winter squash, frozen green beans or peas. Remember gypsies are care free so use ingredients you have in your kitchen.

Gypsy Soup Gift Ingredient List: Large gift bag, recipe, 1 bulb of garlic, 1 bunch of celery, 1 can of stewed tomatoes, 1 can of garbanzo beans, 4 chicken bouillon cubes or 4 cups of chicken broth, 1 bunch of celery, 2 sweet potatoes, 1 green pepper, 1 large onion, spices measured out & labeled in snack bags – 2 teaspoons each of turmeric, basil and cinnamon. If people like bay leafs and red cayenne pepper I find they usually have them in their spice cabinet.

*Garbanzos (also called chickpeas) are a good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber with a whopping 5 grams of fiber (called soluble) per 1/2 cup. Our goal is about 20 grams a day. In addition to lowering cholesterol, garbanzos’ high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal, making these beans a “need to eat food” for people with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia.
(My goal for Gary and I is to eat 1 cup of beans a day. On our Smokey Mountain hiking vacation this fall, I bought garbanzo beans for our evening salad. When he saw the “beaned salad,” he said, “You aren’t kidding when you say we are eating more beans!” He doesn’t know my eventual goal is to eat 2 cups a day. Shhh – the joy of being a dietitians’ bridegroom!)

**Turmeric is a culinary spice and a major ingredient in Indian curries. It also makes American mustard yellow. It is a WOW spice for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
Alzheimer’s disease: Eating turmeric in their daily curries appears to be one of the main reasons that elderly citizens of India have very low rates of Alzheimer’s disease.
Arthritis: It also is great for people with arthritis as it inhibits the enzyme COX-2 that promotes pain, swelling and inflammation.
Cancer: It is also effective in animal models in prevention and/or treatment of colon cancer, mammary cancer, prostate cancer, esophageal cancer, and oral cancer.
For more information on turmeric: Check out the most comprehensive summary of turmeric studies to date published by the respected ethno botanist James A. Duke, PhD, in the October, 2007 issue of Alternative & Complementary Therapies.