Big ol' container of mushrooms from Costco:

Bought this 'barrel' of gourmet dehydrated mushrooms from Costco a year or so ago, and it has pretty much sat there undisturbed in my pantry this whole time. Today that all changed, as I decided to find a dehydrated mushroom recipe. And, am I ever glad I did. This soup was ridiculously good and only cost a couple bucks to make. I found an interesting recipe for a mushroom bisque, and I modified it for my use. I also used an excellent product from Costco for the beef broth called, "Better Than Bouillon Beef Broth". It's SUPER flavourful and is way cheaper than pre-made broth (3 tsp added to 3 cups of water is all I used for my meal). For your tastebud and pocketbook pleasure, here's what I made:

Wild Mushroom Soup:

4 tbsp. Butter
2 tbsp. Flour
1 Onion (small), finely chopped
1/2 - 1 oz. of Dehyrdated Mushroom Mix
3 cups Beef Broth
2 cups Milk (or cream)
2 tbsp. Sherry (or Apera as its now called in Canada)
2 tbsp. Chives (freeze-dried or fresh)
1/4 cup reserved filtered Mushroom Broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Step 1: Rehydrate mushrooms
Grab a handful of dehydrated mushrooms and rinse them briefly in a strainer. Transfer them to a small bowl and pour hot water over the mushrooms until they are saturated, then wait 15 minutes. Drain mushroom water (broth) and pour into a glass or plastic measuring cup. Now pour boiling water into the bowl with the mushrooms until saturated, and wait another 5 minutes. Once again, pour the mushroom water (broth) into the existing measuring cup of reserved liquid. Then filter the mushroom broth through a paper coffee filter using your existing coffee basket, plastic funnel, or metal strainer (paper filter is essential to filter out the gritty, sandy bits). Lastly, chop the rehydrated mushrooms into smaller bite-size pieces.

Step 2: Making the soup
Saute onions and mushrooms in butter over a low to medium heat for 10 minutes in a large sauce pan or dutch oven (do not let it burn). Add flour and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes (once again try not to burn). Add 1/4 cup filtered mushroom broth to deglaze the pan. Add beef broth and stir until mixed thoroughly, then add the milk. Turn up the heat to medium-high, stirring frequently and bring the soup to a simmer (do not boil). The soup is now done, now stir in the sherry and chives and season with sea salt (not much needed at all) and pepper.

The Cabbage Juice Diet:

This evening I began a Cabbage juice diet (in addition to my normal 3 meals a day). The diet/treatment entails drinking 1 quart (200 ml x 5 ) of raw cabbage juice a day for a span of 10 days. I intend on extending that time frame to 3 weeks to ensure I obtain the maximum results. I will also post periodic updates with my observations to let you all know how this diet is going and provide you with any additional information I find on the subject.

For the last few years I have struggled with a number of digestive problems such as; duodenitus, ulcers, and acid reflux. As a result I've been prescribed a handful of medications, with few working and no lasting results. In some cases they made things even worse (Nexium). This of course left me feeling quite hopeless in finding a cure from the medical community. Every time I went to the doctor all they would do is prescribe another one of these drugs. Not once did they suggest a change of diet or even attempt to diagnose my digestive problems further, just take the pills and get back to them. How long can a person continue to trust this kind of logic?

In my quest to obtain healing I stumbled across an article about raw cabbage juice. Based on a study done in 1949 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1643665/, it claimed that drinking raw cabbage juice has a healing effect on stomach ulcers. So, after a little reading and searching around http://www.juicing-for-health.com/cabbage.html and here http://healthwyze.org/index.php/component/content/article/388-quick-tip-cure-ulcers-naturally-with-raw-cabbage-juice.html I decided to give it a shot.

To do so I found out I was in need of a juicer :(. But, after some careful consideration (my wife knocked some sense into me) I came to the conclusion my health was definitely worth the investment. Although, I was definitely consoled when I found a good used oneon eBay for $60. My thought was, "why spend hundreds of dollars on something if you're not a hundred percent certain you're going to get your money's worth out of it?".

The Recipe:

1 Apple - peeled and cored (suggested until you get used to the taste of the cabbage, as it helps cut the bitterness)
1/4 head of Cabbage (make sure to wrap up the remaining cabbage good with plastic wrap to avoid breakdown and loss of vitamins)
1/4 cup distilled water (here's some neat facts about distilled water: http://www.sylvansource.com/facts.html)

Produces roughly about 500 ml of juice. Apparently drinking the juice right away is recommended for not only taste but for maintaining the healing properties of the juice as well. Also, make sure to wash the outside layer of the cabbage well.

Notes from the first glass:

So far I have tried one 500 ml glass of the juice (with the apple). Surprisingly the juice was definitely palatable, if not a little too sweet. Perhaps the freshness of the cabbage and the juice had an effect on it`s overall taste. As well, shortly after drinking I noticed a distinct soothing effect on my stomach. I wonder if this is an isolated observation or an actual property of the juice? Time and continued exposure will ultimately tell. Aside from a little burping the gassy effects of the juice don't seem too bad either.

More notes to follow...

11/01/2011

• Noticed increased energy levels, especially 5 minutes after drinking the juice.
• Not sure if it's a result of drinking the juice, but today I've been feeling really, really good.
  
• Juicing 1/4 cabbage produced around 250-300ml juice, as a result I have adjusted the 5 times daily to only 4. So, basically you need to consume the juice of 1 whole cabbage daily.
• Removed the apple and distilled water from the mix. Found that I like the taste of the juice much better on it's own. I also found it became easier and and faster to drink it down.
• Discovered that drinking the juice right away tends to eliminate any bad smell. As well if you dispose of the waste quickly and clean the juicer, it tends to cut most of the bad smell that is produced from juicing (the smell of cabbage starts to increase exponentially the longer you leave it out). Make sure you have an air tight bag to put the waste in.
• Here's another short article: http://www.healthy-juicing.com/health-benefits-of-cabbage.html
  

Three Cheese Broccoli Soup

I've been meaning to put this recipe up awhile now but never managed to get around to it . For those of you who have been waiting, so sorry :*(.

This soup is a combination of a few recipes I've come across, with the end result being cheesy brocolli goodness!

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp butter (salted)
3 tbsp flour
2 cups milk (warmed to room temperature)
2 bunches of broccoli (I like lots of broccoli!), cut up into florets
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup Jarlsberg cheese, shredded
1 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded

(The Cheddar is pretty much standard course, however you can substitute the Jarlsberg or Gruyere for any number of other cheeses if you can't find them. Such as; Swiss, Emmental, Gouda, etc...)

Cooking instructions are broken down into two steps which can be prepared simultaneously.

Step 1: In a large pot or dutch oven heat olive oil over medium heat and add the onion and carrot. Saute until soft and transparent (typically for me it turns yellowish), make sure not to burn. At which point add the chicken stock and broccoli and increase heat to medium high and cover. Steam for an additional five minutes (or until desired broccoli tenderness).

Step 2: Add butter to mid-sized sauce pan and melt over medium-low heat. While quickly stirring slowly add the flour to the butter (I use a small whisk it works amazing) and cook for two minutes (if it burns start over). Remove from heat then add milk, whisking quickly to avoid clumping or burning (don't be afraid if hisses and bubbles at first). After well blended place back on the heat at medium, stirring frequently. Once boiling slowly start adding clumps of the shredded cheese and whisk until the cheese is melted. After all the cheese has been melted continue to cook the sauce until it turns silky smooth. Add cheese sauce to cooked broccoli mixture and stir. Serve soup right away.

Makes roughly about 3-4 servings.
Goes well with fresh bread (a nice french baguette works great!)