The sudden bout of rain is back in action. Just before the winter is knocking on doors and we had forgotten about monsoon and the health problems it brings along, it has been raining cats and dogs all over again. Common colds, flu, and seasonal allergies have become part and parcel of our everyday life one more time.

While we all do our best to keep ourselves safe from sudden attacks of mild to severe bacterial and viral infections, at some point we all get hit by them. This is where a great diet backed by a strong immune system comes into play. Nature has provided us with fantastic herbs loaded with essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that go a long way in keeping us safe from these agonizing pathogens-borne illnesses. Eating a nutrient-dense diet replete with green leafy and cruciferous vegetables and keeping hydrated during this time is a sure-shot remedy to these sudden health anomalies. Therefore, we must add all this to our food habits.

Also Read: Green Leafy Vegetables: 5 Indigenous Greens Packed With Dense Nutrient Profile- Infographic

Shop From Our Wide Range Of Vitamins And Mineral Supplements To Uplift The Immune System

 A platter filled with greens or an array of veggies of vibrant hues and colours is bound to be packed with every possible nutrition on earth. While the leafy greens as well as a cruciferous portion of vegetables taste sumptuous whether you eat them raw, boil them, sauté them or add them to a gravy, if they are done into a simple spiced-up decoction or a hot soup, it can work wonders in combating monsoon issues. Every vegetable is rich in vitamins A, B, and C, Vitamins B9, and Vitamin K besides antioxidants, fibre, magnesium, calcium, iron, and potassium. Dark leafy greens also contain phytonutrients which are plant-based compounds that may help to lower inflammation, treat liver problems, and kidney disease and reduce the risk of developing cancer.

Also Read: 5 Unique Vegetables From The Mediterranean Diet To Uplift Overall Wellbeing – Infographic

To ensure that during this last bit of monsoon, you get a powerful dose of all these nutrients, we bring you the following recipes that are easy to make, do not need any extensive or pro to get them ready, and can be a boon during the rainy season. Great on the taste buds, they can be relished any time of the day.

Vegetable Oat Soup

2 small cups of steel-cut oats

1/2 cup chopped French beans

1/2 cup chopped carrots

1/4 cup garlic

1-inch ginger

1/4 cup green onions

1/2 cup sweet corn

1 tsp butter

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Water as desired

Method

Melt butter, ginger and sauté garlic until it becomes aromatic and brown

Add oats and cook for about 5 minutes until they turn nutty

Add all the vegetables and sauté them for about a minute

Add water according to the desired thickness

Cook well until it gets blended

Add the sweet corn and cook for another minute or so

Add salt and pepper to taste

Serve the soup warm

You can add lemon if desired

Nutrition

The soup has oats as its key ingredient which are rich in antioxidants, including avenanthramides, polyphenols, and ferulic acid.  It also contains soluble fibre. This helps in reducing the risk of coronary artery disease and other numerous harmful ailments. The soup is also laden with vegetables that pack a whole nutritional punch of vitamins and minerals.

Tomato Coriander Shorba

3 tsp oil

2 bay leaf

1-inch cinnamon

2 cloves

2 pods cardamom

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp gram flour

2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

1 small bowl chopped coriander stem

4 cubed tomatoes

1/3 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder

1/2 coriander powder

1/2 tsp crushed pepper

Salt to taste

3 cups water

Method

In a large vessel heat oil and sauté bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and cumin seeds

Add ginger garlic paste and sauté until the raw aroma disappears

Add gram flour and roast until it turns golden brown

Add coriander stem and tomatoes

Sauté until the tomato softens and add turmeric, chili powder, coriander powder, pepper, and salt

Sauté until the spices turn aromatic

Add water and boil for 20 minutes

Mash everything well to extract thick pulp from it and filter anything extra

Add coriander leaves

Tomato shorba is ready

Serve hot

Nutrition  

Tomato shorba recipe tastes amazing when prepared with a slightly watery consistency and is loaded with all the essential nutrients. It also contains coriander that can fight viral and bacterial infections. It is also rich in immune-boosting antioxidants that are needed to keep the pesky monsoon-related illnesses at bay.