Squash Soup Tastes Like Potato? + Gut Health Reminders
life is hard; food doesn't have to be #95 [vol3, 7.1]
Did you leave your car unlocked and someone fill it with squash and zucchini? Tis the season!
Make this simple soup that tastes like potato yet doesn’t spike your blood sugar in the same way. I usually make it with all yellow squash to keep it easy on the eyes. You can definitely peel the zucchini, or make a green soup.
It’s more a technique than a recipe:
Saute onion and garlic, if desired, in butter or bacon grease in pot with lid.
Rough chop squash/zucchini in 2-3 inch chunks, as much as you want.
This is a bi-color variety of yellow squash called zephyr. Sprinkle with sea salt; don’t be stingy.
Add a bit of water or broth, just enough to cover the bottom of the pot.
Let simmer/steam until squash is soft, about 5 min., depends on how much squash, how big pot, how often you open the lid, how hot your stove…
Blend - I find an immersion blender is handy but a regular blender works too. If using a stand blender let the squash cool a bit before blending else you can make a big hot mess.
Add 1-2 blocks of cream cheese. I used 1 block for 4 larger yellow squash.
Taste and adjust; probably needs more salt.
Freezes well.
Sneaky nutrition: Alternatively, if you find yourself with a glut of squash or zucchini, I like to shred it, lightly salt and stand in a colander to drain about 15 min. Squeeze a bit of water out then freeze in zip top bags. Add this shredded zucchini and squash to chili or other soups and casseroles in the winter and your FAMILY WILL NEVER KNOW.
Greek-ish Crock-Pot Chicken
A friend messaged to ask for a pasta salad recipe I made last summer. It’s not written out anywhere, but this Greek-ish Crock-Pot Chicken was the inspiration.
When making pasta salad, it’s imperative to make it a day in advance so flavors meld. Be sure to add ample acid: vinegar, citrus, etc. and don’t be stingy with the salt! Remember Parmesan, feta, and olives can be carriers of salt.
I like plenty of veggies in my pasta salad: pickled red onions, roasted red peppers, tiny tomatoes, shredded carrots, even raw squash and zucchini! Let abundance be your guide.
Easy Breakfast or Dinner
We got home late. I was starved. Fridge empty. Remembering I’d seen this easy crispy potato, cheese and egg taco from Alexandra on Instagram also on her website, I knew it was what I wanted. We didn’t have corn tortillas and it was still delicious.
Gut Health Reminders
Let’s talk about poop. Did you know that in best case scenarios, we should go to the bathroom after every meal? And yet there are some people who only successfully flush every few days.
If you find yourself straining to go #2, you probably know this is not good for your overall health. What can you do?
Baby Steps
1/ Drink water not sugary drinks or even artificially sugared drinks. Sugar (especially aspartame and sucralose) create imbalances in your gut. When possible, drink plain water. Add a squeeze of lemon, a berry, leaf of mint or slice of cucumber, and a pinch of sea salt for flavor. If you must sweeten, use raw honey.
I’ve been adding a splash of kombucha to my water on these hot days. You might be surprised how a spoonful of raw apple cider vinegar tastes in your water. Pioneers added living vinegar to their water on hot days for electrolytes.
Have you heard of shrubs?
Not the kind in your yard..a fun traditional drink. The Kitchn has a fabulous article here. An Iranian friend introduced me to one made with cucumbers and chia seeds. (She also said it was very common for Iranians to still make their own vinegar.) Babylonians added date vinegar to water to make it safe to drink. The Romans used vinegar in water to make a drink called posca. It’s a refreshing way to flavor water on a hot day while replenishing essential electrolytes.
A shot of raw vinegar in a glass of water has also been known to help those who suffer with acid reflux. I wrote more about living vinegars here.
I’m not saying drink a gallon of water a day either. That much is excessive unless you are doing manual labor in the sun. Too much water can deplete needed trace minerals.
2/ Eat fruits and veggies. Look to add a veggie at every meal. If you plate is without color, ask yourself, “What can I add here?” Crave sugar in the afternoon? Make your snack apple and peanut butter. Better yet, burn calories by eating celery with peanut butter. On the days I forget to plan anything to color our dinner plate I keep a bag of frozen broccoli (crowd pleaser at the Majors’) .
3/ Look into taking a magnesium supplement. Magnesium is needed for every cellular function and most Americans are deficient. Magnesium can be very effective for regularity. I take BioCleanse; others I know like Calm. Supplements are not regulated and they are not created equal
4/ I do not recommend taking laxatives for on-going relief. Try to get to the root issue.
Intermediate Steps for Gut Health
Add a probiotic. Pills are great and double bonus points if your probiotic is in the form of food. When it comes to probiotics, pay more for quality.
Probiotics can help most anything that ails ya - from weight loss, to mental clarity (including ADHD, anxiety, depression) to strengthening immunity. I firmly believe that changing our family’s diet when my oldest was 5 years old changed our lives - he was a wild Tazmanian and kombucha, raw milk, homemade broth are partly to thank for the transformation.
Four reasons to get probiotics from food:
Immunity - fight the bad bugs guys with good. One study points to sauerkraut and kimchi fighting Covid.
Enzymes aid digestion. Raw fermented foods contain enzymes that are especially needed as we age. With each birthday our bodies do not produce enzymes as prolifically and our digestive systems S L O W down.
Nutrition: fermentation increases vitamin content. Sauerkraut has 20% more vitamin C than raw cabbage. For probiotic sauerkraut be sure it is refrigerated otherwise it is dead.
Detoxification: fermented foods can chelate heavy metals (mercury, lead, aluminum) & other toxins we encounter everyday.
What are store bought examples of probiotics?
Probiotic foods are generally refrigerated. Hint: mushy sauerkraut in a can is dead. It is not probiotic.
The best food probiotic (in my opinion) is unsweetened, full fat kefir. Most grocery stores (Kroger, Super WalMart) will carry kefir in the dairy case.
There are multiple strains of bacteria in kefir. The beneficial bacteria in kefir can actually colonize in your lower digestive system and do ongoing work. Buy a quart in the dairy section and add it to a smoothie, chug a couple tablespoons alone or add it to yogurt. There are sweet kefir versions if you’re taking baby steps. Plain kefir is quite tart.
Another creative idea: add plain kefir to mayonnaise or sour cream based salads this summer. Places you could easily “hide” a couple tablespoons: potato salad, tuna salad, chicken salad, macaroni salad, etc.
Yogurt is the very bottom of effective probiotics. It is better than nothing, but definitely not the best. Sweetened yogurts should be considered more dessert than beneficial probiotics. Please avoid low fat or artificially sweetened yogurts.
Non-Dairy Probiotic Options
Bubbies brand is a reputable option. We love both their sauerkraut and sour pickles. Most health food stores carry Bubbies. Trader Joe’s doesn’t carry this brand, but they do sell raw sauerkraut in the refrigerated section.
Look at the ingredient list. Salt should be a major player -- and vinegar should not.
If you like bread and butter pickles, these are a great tasting option made without dyes and chemicals. Don’t buy them for beneficial probiotics. They are made with lots of sugar and are not fermented.
Kombucha is a traditionally fermented tea teeming with beneficial bacteria. It also has a detoxifying benefit that sets it apart from other food based probiotics. As such, when trying kombucha for the first time, just drink half the bottle. Depending on existing gut flora, too much can detoxify you too quickly (send you to the toilet). If your body seems to tolerate half a bottle, go for more the next day. Or, just sip a few drinks each day. Something is better than nothing!
Kombucha can be found at “regular” stores like WalMart, Target and Kroger, as well as health food stores. Since I make it, people often ask how much I drink a day. Usually just a couple ounces in the morning. If it is a hot day, I might drink more in the afternoon. Honestly it’s rationed and I have to limit some people in my house who like it a bit too much!
How Much Is Enough?
Fermented foods have billions of probiotics per spoonful. A little bit can make a big difference. My personal goal is 2 tablespoons of something fermented per meal. I make my children eat it and tell them it is their medicine. Or sneak it in their food and remove the fight. Fermented foods are non-negotiable at my table.
Goal is 2T per meal. Reality might be more like 2T per day.
What About Prebiotics?
Prebiotics are important, too — it’s fiber that feeds probiotics.
Foods high in prebiotic fiber include:
legumes, beans, and peas
oats
bananas
berries
Jerusalem artichokes (not the same as regular artichokes)
asparagus
dandelion greens
garlic, leeks, and onions
Do you see any foods above that you eat regularly? I hope so. I start most meals with an onion and some garlic. Both are so good for us!
Other Resistant Starch (Prebiotic) Foods
Did you know that potatoes and rice become prebiotic after they’ve been cooled? Reheating doesn’t destroy the resistant starch. So feel good about eating leftovers! Read more here. Rice, potatoes and pasta will feed the probiotics. Of course, eat those carbs in moderation.
Life is hard, food doesn’t have to be. I hope you try the yellow squash soup. Send the recipe to a friend with a garden teeming with squash.
Julie