Loading up on the Dozens:A Simple Way to Add More Powerfood Punch to Your Diet

Written by Christine Ranieri, Block Center Dietetic Intern

The Healthy Dozen Powerfoods are mostly plant foods that contain potent anti-cancer compounds. A few of them reach their full anti-cancer benefits in supplement form, but all of them can be incorporated into your everyday meals. In addition to being powerful weapons in your cancer-fighting arsenal, these foods are delicious, versatile, and, as you’ll see here, easy to combine in one recipe. With the busy holiday season already upon us, what could be better than a quick, satisfying and powerful anti-cancer one-pot meal? This soup goes from pot to table in less than an hour, and can be easily doubled, tripled or frozen. Starred* foods are one of the Healthy Dozens; read up on their benefits at the end of the recipe. You can hit seven different categories in this soup alone!

Red Lentil Anti-Inflammatory Powerfood Soup
Serves 4

1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium white onion, cut into medium dice*
2 large carrots, cut into medium dice*
2 celery ribs, cut into medium dice
4 large garlic cloves, chopped fine*
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger*
1 cup dried red lentils, rinsed well under cold water
1 tablespoon turmeric*
5 cups water OR low-sodium vegetable broth
1 bunch fresh kale, cleaned and chopped*
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley*
1 teaspoon miso per bowl*

Optional herb sachet (this addition boosts the flavor and the antioxidants, especially if you are using water instead of vegetable broth):

10 fresh parsley stems*
20 whole peppercorns
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs of fresh thyme

Optional garnishes:

Granulated sea vegetables like dulse or kelp*
A squeeze of fresh lemon
Hot sauce to taste

1. To make the sachet: Place all sachet ingredients in a cloth sachet bag and tightly tie it. You can also make a sachet out of a large coffee filter or cheesecloth, tightly tied with a string.

2. To make the soup: In a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add cumin seeds and mustard seeds and toast until aromatic, about two minutes. Remove seeds from heat, leaving the oil in the pot. Add chopped onions, carrots and celery and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Lower heat to medium-low and add chopped garlic, ginger and turmeric powder and sauté until aromatic—being careful not to burn the garlic—about one minute. Add rinsed lentils, water or broth, the toasted cumin and black mustard seeds, and if using, the herb sachet. Bring the soup to a boil, and then simmer for 30-40 minutes. When it is done (when the vegetables are soft and the lentils have fallen apart), turn off the heat, add the kale and let it wilt. Remove the herb sachet and season with the salt, pepper and chopped fresh parsley. After ladling out individual portions, stir in miso. Garnish, if desired.

Powerfood Benefits:

Onions and garlic are both members of the allium family, and are high in allicin, an organosulfide that helps the body remove toxic compounds, enhance immune function, reduce blood clotting and lower blood pressure.
Carrots get their orange pigment from beta-carotene, a carotenoid that has powerful antioxidant properties.
Ginger and turmeric are both rhizomes, which help quell inflammation.
Kale is a cruciferous vegetable. These vegetables are rich in glucosinolates like indole-3-carbinol, which increases the activity of enzymes that make estrogen less effective, which is why high intakes cruciferous vegetables are especially important for women with estrogen-responsive cancers of the breast and endometrium.
Parsley is a leafy green, a potent free radical fighters.
Miso is fermented soybean paste and a probiotic that promotes the growth of healthy gut bacteria and can aid digestion and produce some B vitamins in the small intestine.
Dulse and kelp are both sea vegetables. Sea vegetables are loaded with minerals, amino acids and phytochemicals like fucoidins, which can inhibit angiogenesis, tumor growth and metastasis. Seaweeds can also boost the number and activity of the immune system, especially your T-cells and natural killer (NK) cells.

As we transition from one season to the next and into a new year, challenge yourself to consume more of the remaining five Powerfoods at mealtime, snacktime or in supplement form, just maybe not all in the same dish!