Witch Doctor Soup (updated January 2014)

I am thankful to have someone in my life who share's her vast knowledge of herbs and natural ingredients. As you can tell, often my body hates me for a variety of reasons. So I have turned to trying to furnish it with fuel that helps it and not adding antibiotics and other things that will bring it down again. So a very special thank you to "Aunt Linda" for giving me this recipe which I of course modified but kept the most important things in tact :)

I have also learned a couple of things:

• I love CILANTRO! Well, I already knew this as did many of you. But what I did not know is that cilantro is good for you and has great healing properties! After reviewing multiple sources I have determined that cilantro is known to be a good source of dietary fiber and iron, magnesium and manganese. It is also known to be an anti-inflammatory and to assist in chelation (the removal of heavy metals from the body).
• I eat loads of GARLIC!!! Not new to you guys!! Garlic is also very good for you! It is believed that garlic has antibiotic properties. My Aunt swears by this! I will say that in my experience I do eat quite a bit of garlic and when I make this soup, I do feel better. Maybe it is the combination of ingredients, or maybe it is just one, but the alternative is meds... and I choose healthy food! 
• Cayenne Pepper... Well based on what I read, there are so many good things about Cayenne Pepper I could not begin to list them all! Let's just say I will begin to use it more than I already do! 
• Onions are YUMMY! They may give you bad breath but they are good for you and taste oh, so good :) Onions are known to have anti-bacterial properties. Is this well known? I am not sure, but I have read quite a few sites and one site even says to cut and onion and put it by your bed when you have a throat or chest cold. The onion will absorb the infection. I may try it just to see next time! 

 ** Please note: I am not a doctor. The web is full of crazy things. These are all things that I have read on multiple sites or heard from others before/after I read them. Consult a doctor before acting on anything. **

The basic recipe for "Witch Doctor Soup" is as follows:

1 box GF Low Sodium Chicken/veggie stock
8-10 cloves of garlic - peeled
1 large onion, peeled and halved or small diced*
1 bunch of cilantro - washed
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Add the stock, garlic, onion, 1/2 cilantro and the cayenne pepper to a pot bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove the cilantro and add the rest chopped.

*At this point it is up to you if you remove the onion - I do.  If you prefer to eat it, just small dice before adding it to the pot.

This is a STAPLE when I am not feeling well and make it because of all the healing properties.  It is a great basic soup that if you like you can add anything you like, but this is what I usually add:

 1/2 - 1 box of GF pasta
 1/2 lb bonless skinless chicken chunks (pre-cooked)
 4 oz shredded carrots

If you are going to add the pasta and chicken, double the recipe above.  Once you bring the soup to a boil then add the pasta when there is the required pasta cooking time left (i.e. 8 minutes).  Your soup is ready after that.  Follow the same steps to remove the cilantro and replace with freshly chopped for serving.   Yes, I recognize that is LOADS of garlic, but the healing properties are worth it and hey everyone will be eating it so you will all be breathing on each other!  :)  Share & Enjoy!