Mom's Soup

A warm cozy, surprisingly rich puree of lima beans, potato, and cauliflower. Served with generous chunks of roasted butternut squash.

The excitement and fun of my last post was definitely tempered by my concern for my mom. It's been 5 years since Mom was diagnosed with colon cancer, and she has outlived her doctor's prognosis by about 4 years. She is extremely strong-willed and usually does exactly what she sets out to do.

Until recently, she has remained active by playing a lot of golf, despite the chemo, and even managed to win a few tournaments at her club! But in just this past month, she learned that none of the various treatments have helped her tumors, and they have in fact spread to her lungs and are growing larger. Now, she is extremely tired all the time and has pains and some labored breathing and coughing due to the tumors in her lungs.

It's difficult to see her like that. The reason I became vegan was partially due to the research on cancer that I did when I first learned about Mom's condition. But despite my findings, and her own research on microbiotics, she chose not to give up her favorite foods. Like I said, she's very strong-willed. It also didn't help that one of her good friends, a medical doctor, was a huge proponent of eating lots of meat whenever you're sick. Sadly, his wife recently died of lung cancer, and he currently has kidney cancer, diabetes, as well as a host of other illnesses. He is now eating a lot less meat.

I tried to tell Mom that this guy was full of it, and now she believes me! Yes most doctors will tell their cancer patients to eat whatever they want. I understand to a certain degree, because if you're appetite is limited, it's good to get nourishment however you can. But I am a firm believer that diet plays a significant role when it comes to diseases. It just makes sense! Our bodies respond differently to different foods. It has been found that sugar increases tumor growth. So, it would make sense that other foods would inhibit growth, wouldn't you think?

Anyway... Mom finally made a commitment to eat better, and I have been cooking dinner for her every day. I am careful to use good whole foods and nothing processed, no white flour or sugar. I'm just not sure if her condition is reversible now. But I'm very willing to give it a try, and so is she!

Last night, she was feeling particularly tired and didn't feel like eating anything that required too much effort. I suggested soup, and she agreed.

This soup was so good! I loved the creaminess it had, but without the fat (or cream)! Mom was surprised too. The butternut squash was simply cut in half lengthwise and roasted in a 400 degree oven (open face down) until tender. Simple, sweet, and delicious!

Ingredients:

2 medium russett potatoes, peeled
1 small-medium onion, roughly chopped
2 C. pre-soaked lima beans
1 veg bouillon cube
1/4 C. nutritional yeast
half a cauliflower (about 2 cups), chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped

Spinz:

Put onions, potatoes, and lima beans in a soup pot, and add enough water to cover + 1/2 an inch or so. Let it come to a boil, then turn down to simmer for 15-20 minutes. Dissolve one veg bouillon cube (I use one that has no preservatives, and organic) in a little water and the nutritional yeast. When the beans and potatoes are tender, add the bouillon mixture, garlic, and cauliflower. Let simmer for a few minutes until the cauliflower is tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Puree in a blender until smooth, serve warm.