Today’s post comes from one of my newest blog finds – Christina @ Dinner at Christina’s! Enjoy 🙂
Rustic Cabbage Soup
I love 101 Cookbooks and have surfed my way over to some awesome blogs by following the comment links. That’s how I found Maggie’s blog!
I answered her plea for guest bloggers and offered a recipe post. She was very flexible, and I chose this recipe because it’s one of my favorites and I feel like it represents the health-conscious and vegan/vegetarian quality of Maggie’s recipes.
The list of ingredients and instructions are Heidi’s:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
a big pinch of salt
1/2 pound potatoes, skin on, cut 1/4-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
5 cups stock
1 1/2 cups white beans, precooked or canned (drained & rinsed well)
1/2 medium cabbage, cored and sliced into 1/4-inch ribbons
Warm the olive oil in a large thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the salt and potatoes. Cover and cook until they are a bit tender and starting to brown a bit, about 5 minutes – it’s o.k. to uncover to stir a couple times. Stir in the garlic and onion and cook for another minute or two. Add the stock and the beans and bring the pot to a simmer. Stir in the cabbage and cook for a couple more minutes, until the cabbage softens up a bit. Now adjust the seasoning – getting the seasoning right is important or your soup will taste flat and uninteresting. Taste and add more salt if needed, the amount of salt you will need to add will depend on how salty your stock is (varying widely between brands, homemade, etc). Serves 4.
I wasn’t sure how much 1/2 of a pound of potatoes were, so I used two large potatoes. I used Knorr’s vegetarian stock, but only 2 cubes which is supposed to equal 4 cups of water and I put in the whole 5. I thought the other flavors might make up for it, and I was right. I just added a little black pepper and the flavor was great. I used canned white beans for the convenience as well.
The one thing I always notice when I’m making one of Heidi’s recipes is the smell they produce. Nothing else I ever cook has such a hearty, wholesome smell. I imagine it’s how a kitchen in the 1800’s might have smelled. Some stronger, rawer odors from chopping the raw potatoes, onions and cabbage. And then this almost earthy, deep smell from the layering of the ingredients as she builds the recipes up. It’s homey and warm, my boyfriend Johnny also always notices when he walks in the door from work.
Heidi’s original recipe called for an extra drizzle of olive oil and parmesan cheese shavings on top, both of which I omitted, but would be great touches if you preferred.
I was so eager to eat I didn’t grab a picture until the end. This was when I was ladling the leftovers into a storage container, so forgive the lack of presentation!
This is probably the simplest way to deal with stress which is why I am including it first. It requires no money, no classes, no equipment – just you and your lungs. You can just take a moment, wherever you are and focus on your breath. In. Out. In. Out. Breathing is the foundation of yoga and meditation practices and there are many exercises one can do with breath for stress relief but just being conscious of your breath and slowing it down is a great start.
I am a big tea drinker, and one thing I love about warm tea is that it’s best enjoyed slowly. Drinking tea is a great time to pause and reflect, and can have a calming effect. Herbal teas can also have dietary and medicinal effects. Ginger, Chamomile, Mint, Lemon, and a myriad of others can be soothing both physically and to the spirit. Also, keeping hydrated can help alleviate headaches which can be brought up by stress. 
Taking a walk can actually help de-stress on multiple levels. First there is the fact that you are doing something physical, and exercise has many health benefits (not to mention it gets you breathing!). Secondly, you can pick a scenic route and connect with nature which can help remind you of the beauty in the world and the big picture. Thirdly, if you are walking alone you can reflect and meditate, or if you are walking with a friend or pet, companionship can also be a stress reliever. 
I am an avid journal writer. I find sometimes I have thoughts or fears that swim in my head, but if I write them down then they are released. If it is a bigger issue, writing it down makes it tangible, a problem I can solve. However, sometimes something seems so big in my head but when I write it down I realize how silly/little/unimportant it is. Either way it gets out of my head. My journal is a safe, private space, where I can deal with life’s stresses without fear of being judged. As for blogs, I do that too. Blogging is more of a social experience. 
It does not matter what form a story takes- whether you listen to a friend tell a tall tale, or watch an adventure, or read a great novel from the library- stories can transport you to a different time or place and help you escape for a little bit. (Not all of us are as lucky as Maggie to actually get to escape on a cruise!) Of course we would not want to fall into the trap of escapism, but a little break can be just what we need sometimes. Stories can also help us connect, and learn, and grow, and deal with stress. They can help us put life in perspective.
Music helps the soul to ascend. While the lyrics can put music in the category of story, I feel it deserves its own spot. Music is just so powerful. It can capture mood in such a potent way, and can transform you. Sometimes when I am down I like to listen to a sad song, and then a really upbeat and happy one, because I both need to know that others feel the way I do, and want to feel better.
Laughter has many health benefits. It boosts the mood and it gets you breathing (it’s all about the breath!) I am lucky in that I have two siblings who are amateur comics. They can make me laugh in an instant. I also love watching standup or a comedy. Laughter is such a release, a letting go. There is a reason why laughter has been hailed as the best medicine!
