6 Soothing Recipes To Get You Through Flu Season

Cough, sneeze and sniffle – the flu season is upon us and it is hitting many Australians especially hard this year. While you can catch the flu at any time, it’s more likely to happen in the colder months of the year and the flu season typically peaks in August down under. The last thing you want is to fall sick this Winter, which is why prioritising your health by maintaining a hearty and nourishing diet is key. If you’ve run out of recipe ideas or are simply looking for some inspiration this flu season, you’ve certainly come to the right place.

In today’s article, we’ve rounded up 6 soothing recipes with flu-fighting ingredients like turmeric, garlic, leafy greens and salmon to help boost your immune system this flu season. Read on to find out how you can kick that nasty cold with some delicious tasting meals!

1. Turmeric & Lentil Soup

This creamy and rich Turmeric Lentil Soup is a flavourful cleansing soup recipe made with ingredients that boost the immune system, support liver and digestive health. Most importantly, it is quick and easy to make, so be sure to cook up a huge batch and save leftovers in the freezer for a quick weeknight meal.

Ingredients:
● 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
● 1 white onion
● 2 celery stalks
● 1 large potato, diced
● 2 medium sweet potatoes, diced
● 2 teaspoons minced garlic
● 1 teaspoon sea salt
● 1 teaspoon black pepper
● 2 teaspoons dried thyme
● 1 cup green or brown lentils
● 1 cup red lentils
● 2 tablespoons turmeric powder
● 1 teaspoon ground ginger
● 1 teaspoon cumin
● 4 cups vegetable stock
● 2 cups water
● 1 cup almond milk
● 1 cup spinach
● 1 cup fresh herbs of your choice
● 1 teaspoon lemon juice
● 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Method:

1. Give your onion and celery a quick chop in a food processor by pulsing 5-6 times, or until vegetables are minced finely.
2. Heat the oil in a large stockpot or dutch oven. Add minced onions, celery, turnip, potato and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes until everything softens slightly. Season with salt, pepper and thyme and cook for about 2 minutes.
3. Add lentils, turmeric, ginger and cumin and saute 1 – 2 minutes, then add the vegetable stock and water. Bring the soup to a boil, cover and reduce to simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and stir in almond milk, spinach, herbs, lemon and pepper flakes until spinach has wilted. Serve immediately!

2. Healthy Prawn Noodle Soup

Loaded with fresh prawns, crunchy Bok Choy and earthy Soba Noodles, this Prawn Noodle Soup is guaranteed to soothe the soul. A highly adaptable recipe, feel free to swap the noodles or veggies out with ingredients of your personal preference.

Ingredients:
● 500ml chicken stock
● 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
● 2 teaspoons grated ginger
● 1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce
● 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
● 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
● 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
● 200g dry soba noodles
● 2 baby bok choy, quartered
● 12 green prawns, peeled (tails intact), deveined
● 1 long red chilli, sliced on an angle
● 1/2 bunch coriander, leaves chopped
● 3 spring onions, thinly sliced on an angle
● 1 lime, quartered

Method:

1. Place the stock, garlic, ginger, sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce and oyster sauce, sesame oil and 1 cup (250ml) water in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to medium.
2. Taste and adjust seasoning with more sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce or sesame oil, if necessary.
3. Add dry soba noodles and cook for 2 minutes, then add bok choy and prawns. Cook for 3-4 minutes until bok choy leaves are wilted, prawns are just cooked and noodles are tender.
4. Divide between 2 bowls, garnish with chilli, coriander and spring onion, and serve with lime to squeeze over.

3. Foil Baked Ginger Salmon

This Ginger perfumed Salmon baked in foil packets is a healthy and delicious meal, featuring juicy salmon, vegetables and fresh herbs. Loaded with heart healthy omega 3 fatty acids, this recipe takes only 30 minutes to cook and cleaning up is a total breeze.

Ingredients:
● 2 salmon fillets (180-200g each, about 1-inch thick)
● 4 dried shiitake mushrooms
● 2 teaspoons minced garlic
● 2 tablespoons peeled and julienned ginger
● 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
● 2 spring onion stalks, cut into 2-inch long sections
● 1/4 cup chopped dill, about 2-inch long sections
● 180g baby bok choy, quartered and cut into 3-inch long sections
● 4 teaspoons soy sauce
● 2 teaspoons olive oil (plus more for greasing)
● Salta and black pepper, to taste
● Steamed Jasmine Rice and Avocado, to serve

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C. Soak dried shiitake mushrooms in plenty of hot water for 2-3 minutes. Once they are plump, drain water and slice thinly.
2. Mince garlic, julienne ginger, slice onion, chop spring onions and dills into 2-inch long pieces, quarter and cut baby bok choy into 3-inch long sections. Divide all these ingredients into two equal parts.
3. Place a large piece of foil on a clean surface and lightly grease with olive oil. Scatter half of the onions and baby bok choy in the middle of the foil.
4. Place a salmon fillet on top of the veggies. Sprinkle salt and black pepper on top and then drizzle 1 teaspoon of olive oil over the salmon.
5. Arrange half of the sliced dried shiitake mushrooms, julienned ginger and minced garlic evenly on top of the salmon. Finally top with half of the scallions and dills. Sprinkle more black pepper on top and then drizzle 2 teaspoons of soy sauce evenly over everything.
6. Fold and seal the packet. Wrap the second salmon fillet with all remaining ingredients in the same way.
7. Bake the foil packets in the oven for 15-18 minutes, or until desired doneness.
8. Serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice and sliced avocado.

4. Slow Cooker Beef & Barley Soup

This incredible Beef & Barley Soup comes together in just minutes, thanks to the wonders of a slow cooker. Simply pop all your ingredients into a slow cooker before heading out the door in the morning and you’ll be rewarded with a tasty, warm and satisfying delight when you get home in the evening. It doesn’t get more rewarding than that!

Ingredients:
● 2 tsp olive oil
● 500g beef blade steak, trimmed, chopped
● 2 carrots, peeled, finely chopped
● 2 celery sticks, trimmed, chopped
● 1 large brown onion, finely chopped
● 2 garlic cloves, crushed
● 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
● 500ml beef stock
● 400ml water
● 400g can diced tomatoes
● 75g pearl barley, rinsed, drained
● 100g trimmed Tuscan cabbage, shredded
● Chopped parsley, to serve

Method:

1. Heat half the oil in a saucepan over high heat. Add beef. Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes or until well browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.
2. Heat the remaining oil in the saucepan over medium heat. Add the carrot, celery and onion. Cook, stirring, for 5-6 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and thyme. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until aromatic.
3. Return the beef to the pan. Add stock, water and tomatoes. Bring to the boil. Transfer to a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
4. After 6 hours, add the barley and Tuscan cabbage and cook for 2 hours or until barley is cooked and cabbage is wilted.
5. Season to taste with freshly ground pepper. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve.

5. Asian Style Risotto

This eastern inspired risotto is packed with greens and toasted sesame seeds, creating a superb crunchy contrast that pairs perfectly with a deliciously creamy risotto base. While this recipe may not be authentic, it definitely ticks all the boxes when it comes to a soothing weeknight meal that even novice chefs can perfect.

Ingredients:
● 8 spring onions, sliced,
● 2 teaspoons minced garlic
● 2 teaspoons minced ginger
● 1 fresh green chilli, sliced
● 50g cashews, chopped
● 1 bunch fresh coriander, chopped
● 200g fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
● 200g bok choy (separate stems from leaves)
● 500ml vegetable stock
● 500ml water
● 200g baby broccolini, chopped
● 1 lime
● 1 tbsp olive oil
● 1 tbsp sesame oil
● 2 tbsp white miso paste
● 225g Arborio or short-grain Sushi rice
● 100g frozen peas
● 1 tbsp soy sauce, or to taste
● Salt and black pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Pour vegetable stock and water into a large pot and bring to a simmer.
2. In a separate pot, warm olive oil and sesame oil over a medium heat. Add three-quarters of the chopped spring onions, garlic, ginger, sliced chilli and coriander stems and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
3. Add the chopped cashews and white miso paste and stir for 1 minute. Add the shiitake mushrooms and stir for 2 minutes. Add the stems of the bok choy and stir for 1 minute. Finally, add the risotto rice and stir for 1 minute.
4. Add 200ml of the hot stock to the stock pot and stir continuously until all the liquid has been absorbed. Repeat this process three more times until you’re left with around ¼ of remaining stock.
5. Add the baby broccolini to the pot after the rice has been cooking for 10 minutes . Add the remaining bok choy leaves and peas, folding them into the risotto for 30 seconds.
6. Add the remaining stock and the soy sauce and stir until the liquid has been absorbed and the risotto has a creamy consistency.
7. The rice should take about 20 minutes to cook – the grains should be tender but still with a little bite.
8. To finish, add half of the coriander leaves and half the remaining spring onions to the risotto and fold them in.
9. Taste the risotto and season to perfection with salt and pepper before plating up and garnishing with more chopped coriander and sliced spring onions.

6. Mango Turmeric Smoothie Bowl

If you’re someone with a sweet tooth, don’t worry, because we haven’t forgotten you! This amazing Mango Turmeric Smoothie bowl is the perfect recipe to start the day right, and is packed full of fibre, Vitamin C and probiotics to help ward against the nasty flu bug.

Ingredients:

● 1 frozen banana
● 125g unsweetened plain yoghurt
● 1/2 cup frozen mango cubes
● 2 tablespoons almond butter
● 1 teaspoon honey (optional)
● 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
● 3 tablespoons almond milk
● Muesli, chia seeds and coconut flakes, to garnish

Method:

1. In a high speed blender or food processor, combine frozen banana, yoghurt, mango, almond butter, honey, turmeric and almond milk.
2. Blend on high speed until smooth and creamy. If the mixture seems too stiff, gradually add more almond milk until you achieve a thick and creamy consistency.
3. To serve, pour into a bowl and top with muesli, chia seeds and coconut flakes.

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And there you have it – 6 delicious, soothing recipes that are guaranteed to get you through flu season in 2022. If you plan on trying out some of the recipes featured in today’s article, be sure to let us know what you think in the comments section below. Until next time, keep healthy, stay safe and eat well!

All people need to take the necessary vitamins and minerals, especially during the whole winter and flu season. Some are getting them through only food, some refill it with capsules, and others choose intravenous therapies in case they need to restore the missing vitamin complex and boost immunity in a few days. When choosing IV therapies pay attention to the correctly selected composition of the IV fluid. To make this process easier you can decide to get the treatment from wherever you want. If you are living in Texas, you can try location-based IV treatments, for instance, mobile IV therapy in Houston and other US cities, which can help you to be treated easily and be under the supervision of a nurse all the time.