I was just preparing a post that I wasn't really planning on posting just yet, when I came across this initiative by @eco-alex of the @ecotrain.
You can find his post here:
@eco-alex/the-medicinal-gourmet-cooking-collective-join-us-for-a-different-kind-of-food-challenge
The recipe I was trying to explain in my post was very fitting for the subject, so I decided to post it after all.

One thing: there was supposed to be something bitter. This recipe doesn't have this. I don't particularly like anything bitter. Neither does anyone here in our home. So there is no bitterness here :)

Whenever there is someone in the house who feels a bit under the weather, or just a bit low on energy, I make this recipe.

My kids even ask for it when they feel a bit so-so. Of course, I also make it when everyone is fine, but just the fact that the kids ask for it shows that it does something for them. It's super healthy and easy to make with only a few ingredients.

Roasted Garlic Soup with Ginger and Coriander

This is what I call out Golden Trinity. I LOVE Garlic and so do my kids. Ginger is not always to everyone's taste, but I am lucky to have four children who all like it. And Coriander? What can I say? I am addicted to this herb. I can eat it straight without any other ingredients. I grow my own if I can, but usually run out quickly and forget to sow new in time.

Sometimes I let a few of the plants grow out completely, flower and then wait for their amazing seeds to show themselves.
Have you ever tasted a fresh green coriander seed before it dries? No? You should try it.

The good thing about this recipe is that I usually have all ingredients in the house, but if I don't I leave one out or substitute for equally great results.

Garlic & Wild Garlic or Ramson

Garlic has a lot of health properties. I use it here almost every day, preferably raw. I use it in salads, soups and several dishes. Sometimes I even put a little in a smoothie to give it a bit of a kick. I give it to the animals here, our dogs, cats and pony to keep parasites at bay. A nice side effect of garlic is that if you eat enough of it, mosquitoes won't like you!
The same goes for horse flies. The pony has little or no problems with those critters. They just don't like garlic tasting blood! And of course, it keeps vampires away too 😉.

Here a chart with some of the health benefits garlic has:

I usually grow my own garlic, but this year due to lack of time, I didn't get them in the ground on time, so I have to work with the garlic from the shop. I buy my garlic from the Polish shop in town. The bulbs are HUGE and the garlic is so strong, the whole car smells nice and garlicky all the way home!

Have a look at these guys:

This garlic tastes so much better than the garlic bought at big stores. I LOVE it!
One bulb usually has around 15 to 20 cloves.

Wild garlic (ramson)

If you're lucky like we are and have wild garlic growing in your area, then please get it while you can.
Here we're a bit late for them this year. The best time to find them is anywhere between March and May, depending on when the spring started. They usually grow everywhere in Ireland in shady and slightly moist areas, like near rivers and lakes with a lot of trees. I use their leaves and their flowers.
Wild garlic has benefits similar to regular garlic, but seems to be even healthier!

source: www.dorsetecho.co.uk

Ginger

I love the smell and taste of ginger. I make tea with it, with or without lemon and I use it in a lot of our food.
In times when any of us come down with a cold, flu or chest issues, I make a concoction of ginger, lemon and honey.
Usually any symptoms will disappear in a few days.

Ginger has many health benefits, some of them can be seen here:

Coriander or Cilantro

My best friend in the kitchen. I just love the smell and taste of fresh coriander. I try to grow it all year around and have several pots in and outside the house with these plants. And I still run out sometimes!
The trick is to only harvest a few leaves from every pot and let the rest grow on. This way you'll have them longer and they keep growing until they flower. The seeds are also great to use in food, I particularly like them when they're still fresh and green.

Here are some of it's health benefits:

One thing that isn't mentioned here, but good to know, is that coriander is an excellent herb to remove heavy metals from your body. Important to note here is though that it can move through the blood/brain barrier, so essentially moving heavy metals where you really don't want it to go! If you have amalgam fillings or think you have a lot of heavy metals (especially mercury) in your body, you might want to re-think the use of coriander.
I have used the herb for heavy metal removal for some time and take a binder before bed-time, like bentonite clay or diatomaceous earth, which then binds the heavy metals and removes them from the body.
However, one method is not always good for everyone. So inform yourself! And use with care.

The recipe

I usually make about 3 to 4 litres of this soup because we all love it and don't mind eating it for lunch and dinner as well as the next day. Personally I love it the most when it's freshly made though because I use some raw ingredients that are just best when they are not warmed up the next day.

The amounts for everything is my personal choice, but of course this can be adapted to your taste.

• 3 to 3 1/2 litres of vegetable stock, preferably freshly made or from organic vegetable bouillon

• approximately 1/2 liter of almond or cashew milk, preferably freshly made

• 30 to 40 cloves of garlic (yes, I use these huge cloves...!) and a handful of wild garlic if you have it

• a piece of ginger, about 2 x 2 cm.

• the zest of half a lemon

• juice of half a lemon (more or less to taste)

• Himalayan pink salt

• Pepper

• handful of coriander leaves and/or seeds (ground)

• arrowroot, approximately 2 teaspoons, but be careful not to thicken too much!