Feel-better foods for when the “ick” strikes–helping your family (and yourself) recuperate with comforting soups and teas.
Five days into the school year, my daughter stayed home with a nasty cold. Once the disbelief wore off (really…only five days in!), I began sorting through my mental list of all the ways I could not only make her more comfortable, but also get her back up and running. Whenever I–or a member of my immediate family–get sick, I think back to the kinds of foods that made me feel better as a child. To this day when I am sick, I wish my mom lived close enough to make those foods for me. Fortunately, I have wonderful friends who will fill that role when I am truly down for the count. I think it is natural that the foods we give our families when they are sick are shaped by what we found comfort in as children. Sharon and I have compared notes and are happy to share some of our feel-better offerings.
Chicken Noodle Soup
It will come as no surprise that chicken soup tops our list—it pretty much tops everyone’s list. Although warm soup of any kind is great when you are sick and congested, chicken soup is the standard for a reason. Healing and comforting at the same time, it makes you feel better inside and out. Use your own stock if you can since it will be packed with that much more flavor and nutrition. It is easier than you think! We included Sharon’s foolproof recipe in our post on chicken stock. Check out the post for the recipe and for helpful tips. If you don’t have time to make homemade stock (it’s especially challenging when taking care of a sick family member), you can always use a high-quality, low-sodium store-bought chicken stock as well. We really like Pacific or 365 (Whole Foods) brands.
Although you can throw together a flavorful chicken soup without a recipe, here is a great one from Ina Garten in her Barefoot Contessa: Family Style cookbook. It is simple and delicious.
- 1 whole (2 split) chicken breast, bone in, skin on
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 quarts chicken stock
- 1 cup medium-diced celery (2 stalks)
- 1 cup medium-diced carrots (3 carrots)
- 2 cups wide egg noodles
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place the chicken breast on a sheet pan, and rub the skin with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until cooked through. When cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin, and shred or dice the chicken meat.
Bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a large pot, and add the celery, carrots, and noodles. Simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes, until the noodles are cooked. Add the cooked chicken meat and parsley, and heat through.
Season to taste, and serve.
Miso Soup
As with chicken soup, miso soup can be wonderfully comforting and easy to make when you, or your family, are sick. The flavors lend themselves well to a palette dulled by congestion. So, it tastes good, is gentle enough when you aren’t feeling well, and offers a blank canvas of sorts to which you can add ingredients, such as tofu, vegetables, or other ingredients like noodles or proteins. Sometimes you really need to pack calories into each serving to keep the body going since most of us don’t feel much like eating when ill.
Miso, a paste made out of soybeans, grain (usually barley or rice), and salt, is now available in most grocery stores. You will find it in the refrigerated section. There are milder, sweeter miso pastes that are labeled as yellow or white miso, and the stronger flavored miso pastes are red and brown. It is easy to adjust the flavor by adding more or less of the miso to your broth or water. Once opened, refrigerated miso will keep for months.
This is a simple recipe from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. She offers a good reminder that boiling the broth can change the flavor and nutritional benefits of miso, so just bring it to a gentle simmer.
- 2 to 3 teaspoons white or red miso to taste
- 1 cup boiling water
- A few drops dark sesame oil or chili oil
- For garnish: sliced mushroom, slivered scallion, or chopped cilantro, if desired
Put the miso in a cup, add a few tablespoons of water, and work it into the miso, diluting it to a thick cream. Add the rest of the water, then pour the soup into a bowl or mug. Add a few drops sesame oil, any of the garnishes–or none–and sip.
Other garnish ideas: asparagus (sliced diagonally and blanched), avocado, napa cabbage, spinach leaves, sweet potatoes (peeled, cubed, and steamed), snow peas, julienned carrot.
Ginger Tea
Making ginger tea is a great way to use any leftover ginger from cooking, but it is also a comforting beverage when you are sick. Ginger is fantastic for calming an upset or nauseous stomach and is also an anti-inflammatory. It is simple to prepare and to adjust the taste.
Steep a few slices of peeled and sliced ginger in boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes. Add honey, and adjust flavor by adding more water or honey to taste.
Another easy soother is herbal tea with honey and lemon, or even just warm water with lemon.
Be well!
