Leftover Lentil Soup

In my house there just is no adherence to the food culture of "breakfast foods" in the a.m., cultural breakfast foods like milk and cereal, eggs and toast with orange juice and coffee, pop tarts (actually, why is that even a "food"???), biscuits or muffins spread with jams or jelly, sausage or bacon. Not one of these foods with the exception of gluten-free biscuits or muffins could safely be put between the teeth of a person with candida. Candida requires lots of green chlorophyll, low acid, hormone-free and bacteria-free, sugar- and gluten-free and of course low-carb ... and with that combination the expected outcome is nixed breakfast fruits (ah, the sugar!), breakfast breads and toasts (oh, the carbs!), breakfast drinks (yikes, no orange juice and double yikes, no coffee or most teas!), meats especially pork (yow, the bacteria, hormones or even food additives in the processed meats).

When people hear what I don't eat, they're shocked and of course I get the inevitable question, "Then what DO you eat?!" Well, I eat lots and lots of vegies ... even for breakfast. But that doesn't mean that my meals are green, green and various shades and hues of green. I need calories too, especially in the a.m. when I start the day. My gall bladder also needs to clean itself out after resting 10+ hours from not eating, so I need to have some fat in the morning to get the gall bladder to 'squirt' its toxins out. Just an aside, people who skip breakfast or eat low-fat in the a.m. - for example, have a slice of toast and a cup of coffee - are setting themselves up for gall bladder problems in the future. The gall bladder must evacuate its toxins regularly every morning so that toxins do not build up and eventually form stones.

People with candida already have liver problems from the accumulation of bacteria, parasites and virus toxins in the blood, and because the gall bladder and liver work closely together, caring for the gall bladder is especially necessary for preventing further destruction among the already compromised organs. For this reason, I have a little oil every morning.

Actually, every a.m. the first thing I do when I get up is drink a very tall glass of water and then sip a tablespoon of flax oil, particularly trying to get the oil to coat my upper esophagus where I know there is bacteria buildup [foamy cottage cheesy buildup seen through on-going views of a laryngoscope, and if I eat "wrong" I can even feel tight in the area]. I've used coconut oil too. Both flax oil and coconut oil have anti-bacterial qualities and actually can fight against bacteria, and this oil-sipping every a.m. has helped keep the bacteria in check in the last few months when I had to stop the more aggressive anti-bacterial treatments because they were interfering with my vitamin A.

Anyway, even in my a.m. breakfast food I try to include a little more oil just to get my gall bladder to gush. From my liver cleansing in the past, I was surprised to see gall stones appear, and so I seriously must take care of my gall bladder. So my "breakfast foods" eaten at least 15 minutes later, often have another tablespoon of oil, e.g. coconut oil (sweet) or olive oil (savory), whichever is most complimentary to the food.

Today's "breakfast food" is a great big energy-giving bowl of soup. Prep time: 10 minutes. And then I rushed out the door but knowing I had fed my body well.

Leftover Lentil Soup

3/4 cup leftover lentils
2-3 stalks celery with leaves
6 baby yellow tomatoes, diced
several leaves of fresh mustard greens*
1 avocado, chunked or mashed
2-3 tablespoons premade lemon-olive oil dressing
1 - 1/2 cups water

Heat the leftover lentils and water. While heating the soup base, chop the celery and add to the soup. Chop the tomatoes and mustard leaves and add when you turn off the heat. Stir them in to slightly soften but not cook them. Add the avocado and it's complimentary lemon-olive oil dressing last.

By the way, the leftover lentils with this recipe can have been seasoned in any way. Sometimes I make Italian-seasoned lentils but most frequently I use North African spices. For ideas, see North Africa Millet Stew. As for lemon-olive oil dressing, I always keep a small bottle in the fridge. I keep the dressing in a single beverage sized glass bottle (to prevent oil and plastic interactions). To make a bottle:

Lemon Olive Oil Dressing (1 small bottle)

2-3 lemons fresh squeezed (approx 2 ~ 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice per lemon)
equal amount of olive oil
1 large garlic clove per lemon, crushed
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Fresh squeezed is wonderful, but flavors marinate delightfully if left a couple of hours.

*My holistic chiropractor told me this past summer that a person shouldn't eat mustard greens as they are used to make mustard gas and the greens themselves have an effect on the nerves. I made this recipe before hearing that (just didn't print it) and have no plans to eat those yummy things again until I do some research on this. IF they really do have that neurological effect, then I don't want them in my body. Wow, hard to believe that something that perks a salad up so well might not have such a great perky effect on the body as a whole.