Sacred Heart Soup

This soup is so hearty, I consider it a stew! This soup was allegedly developed by the cardiology department at Sacred Heart Memorial Hospital to help patients with cardiovascular disease and obesity to:

• lose weight

• increase fiber intake

• know what to eat pre-op

• know what to eat post-op

• demonstrate simplicity in cooking

This soup consists of a variety of vegetables, which makes it easy to shop for. Its main ingredient is cabbage and a diet rich in cabbage can help to decrease inflammation and lose weight. Other impressive benefits of cabbage include:

• lowers blood pressure

• lowers cholesterol

• improves digestion

• used for hemorrhoid relief

• high in vitamins C and K, which have been linked to reduce risk of heart disease.

Hence, it is no wonder why this is the soup for the month of February! #FebruaryIsHeartMonth

Let’s cook! (I’ll start by saying that all my ingredients are organic, therefore I won’t repeat it for every item).

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp avocado oil

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

• 1 tbsp Italian oregano

• 4 garlic cloves minced

• 1 large yellow onion diced

• 1 head fresh cabbage chopped

• 1- 2 stalks kale leaves chopped

• 4 stalks celery diced

• 2-3 large carrots peeled & chopped

• 6-8 cups water

• 1-2 vegetable broth cubes: remember the homemade cubes we made?! (See link & photo)

• 1 can diced tomatoes

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• 1 can red kidney beans (or white cannellini beans)

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 stalk green onion chopped

• 1-2 scoops of collagen peptides unflavored

I like to add that last ingredient to give the soup more protein!

Instructions

1. Drizzle the 2 oils into a large pot over medium heat.

2. Toss in the onions and garlic, cook until translucent.

3. Mix in the celery and carrots, stir for 1 minute.

4. Add in the diced tomatoes, with juice.

5. Sprinkle in all the seasonings (salt, pepper, oregano)

6. Now pour in the water and vegetable broth cubes.

7. Add in the cabbage and beans, then stir.

8. Once all the cabbage is well within the pot, let it come to a boil.

9. Reduce immediately to a medium simmer and stir in the tomato paste, the bay leaf, and collagen powder.

10. Cover with a lid and cook for about 20-30 minutes until cabbage is tender.

11. Serve, top with green onions, and enjoy!

I hope you followed all the posts about the heart this past month of February. Take good care of your heart, take good care of yourself.