If you’re looking for a bright new way to enjoy fresh summer vegetables, try our Health-e-Recipe for Summer Veggie Soup. It’s loaded with nine tasty vegetables that bring you cancer protection and it’s ideal to celebrate National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month.
Every vegetable contains many phytochemicals – naturally occurring substances that may protect our cells from damage from aging and toxins that, over time, can lead to cancer development. These compounds work together for health protection, so this soup is a terrific way to eat the wide variety of vegetables that AICR recommends to reduce cancer risk.
To get the most out of your garlic, mince it first and let it stand for 10 minutes so its allium compounds are fully activated. The carrots add beta-carotene to this soup, and the yellow squash and zucchini contribute fiber (found in all plant foods). The potatoes, chickpeas and corn make this soup hearty, providing other nutrients. Asparagus, tomatoes, basil and chives add even more individual phytochemicals.
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Once you’ve tasted fresh beets, you’ll be enchanted by their sweet taste and beautiful color. Our Health-e-Recipe for Beet, Carrot and Apple Salad shreds them with tart Granny Smith apples, carrots and chopped walnuts into a cancer-preventive salad.
Beets contain potassium, vitamin C, folate and fiber. Their phytochemicals include betalains, a class of health-protecting compounds that may be best absorbed when uncooked. Beet greens – which can be eaten lightly steamed – provide lutein, a phytochemical that protects eyesight and is also found in spinach (a botanical relative of beets).
In the U.S., fresh beets are often roasted. Eating them raw is more unusual, yet once you have, you may prefer them to the pickled versions that are high in sodium and may be packaged with added sugar. (Our recipe also tells you how to peel them without coloring your hands red.)
This week’s recipe marks our #499th issue. You can help us pick our milestone 500th Health-e-Recipe by voting in our Championship Round. It’s Lasagna versus Brussels sprouts: Vote in Recipe 500.
If you ever wished for a more interesting lentil soup, our Health-e-Recipe for Asian Lentil Soup helps you create new depths of flavor in cancer-preventive lentils.
First you sautee fresh carrots, celery, red bell pepper, onion and Chinese cabbage (bok choy) in aromatic sesame oil. These veggies are high in cancer-preventing compounds. After mixing with the lentils and vegetable broth, you add the pungent flavors of garlic, ginger, soy sauce, hoisin sauce and red pepper flakes.
Hoisin sauce is made of soybean paste, chilies and salt and tastes sweet, salty, spicy and tangy all at the same time. It’s thick and concentrated, so you only need a little bit for a lot of flavor.
For each serving of this excellent soup, you get 10 grams of protein and plenty of fiber. Try adding about half a cup of cubed firm tofu to get 8 more grams of protein (and 80 calories) while keeping this delicious dish healthy and cancer-preventive.
Find more tasty cancer-fighting recipes at the AICR Test Kitchen. Subscribe to our weekly Health-e-Recipes.