Super Immune Boosting Brown Rice and Astragalus Soup

The ingredients in this soup are super nutritious and a great way to incorporate immune boosting foods and herbs into your diet. Brown rice, contains an abundance of nutrients, including magnesium. Astragalus and shiitake mushrooms in this soup are strong immune boosting herbs. Ginger and onions are anti-microbial. All these ingredients make this soup ​not only a good food for ​your immune system but also a great option to eat when you are suffering from a cold or flu.  The flavor is pretty neutral. So you can add other herbs and spices if you want to change the flavor.  You can also try it by itself or add more vegetables or chicken. ​​

Ingredients

3/4 cup brown rice, washed
8  cups water or stock of your choice
1 oz astragalus root
1 1/2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and julienned
3 or 4 dried shiitake mushrooms, cut into thin slices with scissors (no stems)
sesame oil (preferably), or other similar oil
​1 small onion, peeled and diced
1 cup daikon radish, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
salt, tamari sauce, white miso to taste
2 green onions, slivered, as garnish

Directions

1. ​Bring the water or stock to a boil in a soup pot. 
2. Add a pinch of salt, the rice, astragalus root, ginger, and shiitake mushrooms. 
3. Bring back to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer and simmer about 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until the rice is partly dissolved into a creamy broth.
4. Add more water as needed to make a soup the consistency you prefer.
5. While the rice is simmering, heat a sauté pan and sauté the vegetables with a pinch of salt for about five minutes, or until they begin to be soft.
6. Add the vegetables to the rice pot, stir and simmer about 5 minutes more.
7. Taste and season, adding a tablespoon of white miso if you like, or a little bit of tamari sauce.
8. Remove the astragalus root from the rice.
9. Garnish with green onions, pickled vegetables, or other toppings that appeal to you. 

Tastes excellent reheated the next day! Too make things easier, you can cook in a crock pot instead of stove top.