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The NEW Cabbage Soup Diet Recipe!

I don’t know about you but I’ve put on a few pounds. I love food. Eating it, cooking it, just smelling food makes me happy. Anyway, remember The Cabbage Soup Diet from years ago? Well, I brought it back from the “dark ages” put a fresh new spin on it, roasted it, seasoned it, and brought it back to life again. So, if you want to drop some weight fast, this soup (and the diet plan below) is a healthy, simple way to get started. I love it and I hope you love it too.

*You’ll want to print several copies of  The NEW Cabbage Soup Diet to share with friends and family. Make extra, freeze some and remember, you may eat as much of this healthy soup as you want!

I’ve made some nice new changes to the www.bakedinmaine.com home page for your shopping pleasure. Added links to some of my favorite things from the awesome Amazon: fabulous kitchen tools, the best cookbooks and brand new! Baked in Maine t-shirts, clothing and cool NEW gift items. So, shop away! Or at least look around a little..

Love ya and let’s get healthy!

The Cabbage Soup Diet

Seven helpful tips:

  1. Follow the diet below (optional).
  2. Keep in mind that it’s only seven days.
  3. Drink 4 glasses of water and green tea per day.
  4. Complement the diet with a good multivitamin tablet.
  5. Print the information on this site so you can refer to it daily.
  6. Eat plenty of soup, as much as you want. Don’t starve yourself or you may cheat.
  7. Try different spices like curry or hot sauce to liven up the soup and add variety.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cabbage sliced, cored and chopped
  • 2 cups carrots baby or chopped
  • 2 cups celery include the leaves, chopped
  • 2 cups mushrooms any kind, sliced
  • 2 cups tomatoes fresh or canned, chopped
  • 2 large red and/or green peppers, chopped
  • 2 onions chopped or sub. a bunch of scallions
  • 1 bunch broccoli or cauliflower chopped (optional)
  • 2-3 zucchini chopped
  • 4 clove garlic chopped
  • 1 box chicken stock 32 oz.
  • 1 bottle V8 Juice 64 oz.
  • sea salt & pepper to taste
  • 2-3 tbs. of parsley for cooking and garnish.
  • seasoning choices: turmeric, red pepper flakes, basil, oregano, thyme, bay leaf
  • fresh herbs (optional): sage, rosemary, thyme, cilantro, basil, dill, tarragon. Use your favorites.
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 lemon

Directions:

Prep Time: 10 mins Total Time: 30 mins
  1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Chop all of your vegetables and place in a single layer in a large baking sheet. Add your fresh herbs, seasonings and olive oil. Roast for 15-20 minutes, stirring 2-3 times. This method gives fabulous flavor.
  2. Place your roasted veggies in a large soup pot and add chicken stock and V8 juice, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 min.
  3. Enjoy!

The Diet: Day One: Fruit: Eat all of the fruit you want (except bananas). Eat only your soup and the fruit for the first day. For drinks - unsweetened coffee, green tea, cranberry juice and lots of water.

Day Two: Vegetables: Eat until you are full, all fresh, raw or cooked vegetables of your choice. Try to eat salads with spinach and other green vegetables and if you can, stay away from starches like white potatoes, pasta, dry beans, peas and corn. Eat all the vegetables you want along with your soup. Don’t eat fruit today.

Day Three: Mix Days One and Two: Eat all the soup, fruits and vegetables you want.

Day Four: Bananas and Skim Milk: Eat as many as six-eight bananas and drink as many glasses of skim milk as you would like on this day, along with your soup. This day is supposed to lessen your desire for sweets. Eat your soup and drink plenty green tea.

Day Five: Fish, chicken, beef and tomatoes: Ten to twenty ounces of baked or broiled protein from meat, fish or seafood and up to six fresh tomatoes. Drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water this day to wash the uric acid from your body. Drink lots of green tea. Eat plenty of cabbage soup.

Day Six: Protein and Vegetables: Eat to your heart’s content of the protein and vegetables today, with leafy green vegetables. Drink green tea. Eat your soup!

Day Seven: Brown or wild rice, unsweetened fruit juices, green tea and vegetables: Be sure to eat plenty of soup.

PS. Interestingly enough, The cabbage soup diet is sometimes referred to as the “Mayo Clinic Diet”, and/or the “Sacred Heart Hospital Diet”. May be true, but I can’t say for sure.

 

[amd-recipeseo-recipe:2]

Classic Stuffing (With Oysters or not)

Everyone loves stuffing and this is a delicious classic stuffing. I think it’s perfect, but of course feel free to add you own special touch. And, I’m going to give you the option of adding the secret ingredient, oysters. Bring in the subtle flavor of the ocean. Because the world is your oyster!

Bon Appétit!

Ingredients:

  • 4 tablespoons butter or olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups mushrooms
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced (optional)
  • 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
  • 12 cups dried bread, cut in cubes (or Pepperidge Farm)
  • 1 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh sage
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme
  • 1 tablespoon of parsley
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries (optional)
  • 4-6 ounces fresh oysters, finely chopped (canned oysters, if you must)
  • 1 cup or so, of chicken broth
  • 2 eggs, slightly beaten

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F and Spray or butter a 2 qt. casserole dish.

 

  1. Toast the bread until golden brown on the middle rack. Or use a bag of Pepperidge Farm (I usually do) Put it into a large bowl.
  2. In a large pan, heat the butter/olive oil. Add mushrooms, onions, celery and garlic. Saute’ about 5 minutes or so. Stir in the herbs, salt and pepper.
  3. Stir in the bread cubes, and oysters (including the juices) and toss well, until the stuffing is moist, but not packed together; stir in the stock and eggs. Stuff the bird or place in a buttered 2 qt. casserole dish and bake 25-30 minutes or until golden.

Enjoy!

 

Perfect Roasted Turkey (or Chicken)

Let’s talk turkey… Okay, my fabulous foodie friends! The holidays are almost here and I wanted to share with you an exceptionally tasty brine for your turkey. For a moist and delicious turkey, marinate your fresh bird overnight in a brine of fresh herbs, lemon, sea salt and a water. When you add aromatics like herbs and lemon to the brine, the bird is infused with extra delicious flavor. Here’s how to prepare a perfect roast turkey (brined or not) for your next Thanksgiving feast, and a great stuffing recipe too!

Bon Appétit!

 

Ingredients:

For the perfect roast turkey:

  • 1  brining bag or huge pot
  • 1 large roasting pan
  • 1  fresh turkey (I used 20 lb. turkey)
  • brine, ingredients below (optional)
  • 1/2 stick butter or 1/2 cup olive oil

Instructions:

  1. Place rack on lowest level in oven and pre-heat to 325 degrees.
  2. Tuck the wing tips under the body of the bird, and place turkey breast-side-down in a roasting pan. Season inside of bird with salt and pepper, and stuff with a few cloves of garlic, a lemon (sliced in half) and/or an onion for more flavor. I like to toss in some herbs, an onion, a few carrots and a couple of celery stalks to flavor the pan drippings (for soup or gravy after). I don’t “stuff” my birds. Most people prefer the “crispy stuffing”, so I do it on the side, using a buttered casserole dish.
  3. * Click here for my classic stuffing recipe
  4. Cover the bird tightly with foil and bake at 325* for about 2 hours (for a 15-20 lb. turkey) or using “The Rule” go 10 minutes per pound, you do the math.Remove the foil (save it for later) very carefully flip the bird over (breast side up and brush your turkey with the melted butter to give your bird a rich, beautiful brown color. Insert a meat thermometer (if you have one) in a thigh. Place the bird back in the oven and cook another hour, basting every 15-20 minutes. For a crispy brown skin, crank your oven up to 425  cook until the thermometer reaches 170 degrees. If you don’t have a thermometer, use the  ”old school method”,  see if the legs wiggle free and easy and the juices inside and outside the bird run clear. If in doubt, cover it back up and put it back in the oven on 325* until it’s done.

Enjoy!

 

Ingredients:

For the brine:

  • 2 gallons cold water
  • 3 cups apple juice or apple cider
  • 4 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
  • 4 tablespoons of fresh sage
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
  • 5-6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup Kosher or sea salt
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons peppercorns (I used the 3 pepper medley)
  • 6 whole bay leaves
  • 3 lemons (zested and sliced)
  • 3 oranges (peeled)

Method:

  1. Combine all ingredients above (except the turkey) in a large pot. Stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat and cover.
  2. After it cools completely, pour into a large brining bag or pot. Place uncooked turkey in the brine, refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours. You can use a cooler full of ice. We put our turkey outside in the cold (below 40 degrees)
  3. To roast your turkey, remove the turkey from the brine. Fill your kitchen sink with clean, fresh cold water, and rinse well for 10-15 minutes to remove most of the salt. Throw the brine out.
  4. Remove the turkey from the water, pat it dry with paper towels, and bake away! (see above)

Classic Stuffing with (or without) Oysters