When a cold hits, soup is my remedy

Elizabeth Templin McCamic

Over the weekend, I caught a cold. Since then, I've been taking it easy, foregoing my normal workouts for extra sleep in the morning.

The bad news is that I don't feel good. The good news is I am not at all tempted to snack. The only food I've really wanted to eat the last couple days is soup or soup-like meals, anything with vegetables and broth.

When I was growing up, the cure for a cold was chicken noodle soup. It still works, in a pinch. But the past couple of days, I've tried some healthier homemade options.

Last night I sauteed some garlic and red pepper flakes in a little olive oil, added chopped kale, fire-roasted tomatoes, broth and cannellini beans. The result was a salty, spicy soup-like dish that helped clear my stuffy nose and soothed my sore throat.

I've also been making another soup with whatever summer vegetables I have at home. Lately that's meant squash, tomatoes, carrots, onion, celery and kale in vegetable broth with some beans and cooked orzo thrown in toward the end.

These recipes aren't fancy, but they are comforting and fairly quick to make. And I feel good about sneaking some veggies into my meals - and all the good, healing vitamins they contain - even when I'm sick.