October 2008 Newsletter
Greetings from Green Spirit Healthy Living!

We’re definitely into the fall season here in Chicago. The leaves are changing and there is a chill in the air. This time of year turns my thoughts in the kitchen to soups. Soups are delicious, quick and easy to prepare and there is an almost endless variety. While a nice, chilled gazpacho sounds great on a hot summer day, cold soups don’t sound so appealing when you’re trying to stay warm. Raw soups do not have to be served cold to preserve their enzymes and nutrients. You don’t need them to be boiling hot to warm you up either, there are a few ways you can warm them up just enough. Raw soups are always best served fresh, so one easy way to warm them up just a bit is to blend them a little longer. If you have a high-speed blender such as a Blend-Tec or Vitamix, the powerful motor does start to heat things up if it runs for a few minutes. Then pour your soup into a bowl you have warmed up in hot water. You can also use warm water or tea as an ingredient to instantly warm your soup. If you’d like your soup a bit warmer, you can use your stove or dehydrator. Set your dehydrator at about 120 degrees and place your bowl of soup on a tray lined with a mesh screen for about 30 minutes. Your soup will not heat up over 110 degrees, so you won’t be killing off the enzymes. On the stove, put your soup in a pan and turn the heat to low. Slowly heat up your soup making sure the temperature does not get too hot. If you can still stick your finger in the soup without it being too hot you haven’t heated it up too much. Again, serve your soup in a cup or bowl you’ve warmed up in hot water. I find that when I what something hot, what I really want is a warm cup to hold on too, to warm my hands. The contents don’t need to be that hot.

Another way for your soups to warm you up is to add a little cayenne pepper. There is no other herb that increases your blood flow faster than cayenne. Cayenne moves the blood and increases your circulation which helps to warm your extremities.

For a great tasting and easy to make fall soup that tastes just a bit like dessert, try this.

Last Day to Register is October 7th!! There is still space available at my Divine Desserts class on October 9th but registration ends soon so don’t delay. More information on this and my other classes for fall is on my class schedule here.

Don’t miss out on a truly great speaker and health inspiration, Dr. Brian Clement lectures in Chicago for the firs time. For Saturday The Chicago Diner and myself will prepare night’s event appetizers.

Wishing you radiant health!
Linda Szarkowski