What is posole and why is it great for your gut?
Posole is a rich, traditional Mexican soup or stew, typically made from hominy (a corn-based ingredient) and containing meat, vegetables, broth, shredded cabbage, chile arbol, radishes, onion, garlic, avocado, salsa and limes. Soup is a great and easy way to add more #GoodGut nutrients and fiber to your diet.
Our take on this #GoodGut meal adds more veggies and replaces the meat with prebiotic rich legumes. Our Plantastic Posole keeps the traditional flavor and adds an abundance of vitamins and minerals such as zinc, potassium, and niacin, and additionally contains calcium and magnesium. It is also a balanced dish in terms of fiber/complex carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamin and mineral content.
The corn that is used in posole undergoes a process called nixtamalization, in which corn kernels are dried, cooked, and then steeped in an alkaline solution–typically consisting of water and food-grade lime (calcium hydroxide). This process improves the quality of protein in hominy and decreases the corn’s level of compounds that interfere with the absorption of certain nutrients such as calcium, iron, copper and zinc in your body for everyday use. This is not a big deal for those with an optimized gut microbiome, but for those suffering with IBS or other gastrointestinal diseases, this can make a massive difference. We also recommend getting all corn products certified organic to avoid unwanted genetic modification and decrease risk of exposure to herbicide residues.
Ways we like to eat it!
As a warm and cozy bowl of soup
Atop an organic tostada to add some crunch
Recipe: Plantastic Posole
Ingredients (Makes 8 Servings):
64 oz. Vegetable Broth
1 Tbsp olive oil (optional)
1 lb. Red Potatoes
4 medium yellow & green zucchini
4 medium carrots (we used rainbow carrots)
1 small onion, diced
6 medium cloves garlic
16 oz. cooked chickpeas
2 cups cooked organic hominy
8 dried chile Arbol (de-seeded)
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup thinly sliced radish
2 medium lime
1/2 small bunch of cilantro
1 tsp salt
1.5 tsp garlic Powder
Directions:
Chop potatoes, carrots, zucchinis, & onions.
In a medium or large pot, saute onions & garlic in olive oil or broth until translucent.
Add chopped potatoes, saute for 3 minutes.
Add carrots and zucchini, saute for 1 minute.
Add broth, de-seeded chilis, spices, chickpeas, and hominy, cook on medium-low heat for 40 minutes, until potatoes are soft. If using an Instant Pot or pressure cooker you would only need to cook on high pressure for 1 minute.
Once cooked, serve in a bowl, top with lime to taste, cabbage, radish, & cilantro.
Try making this posole at home! Take a picture and tag @MarriedtoHealth on Instagram or any social media.
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References
Astley, S. & Finglas, P. (2016). Antinutrients. Reference Module in Food Science. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/food-science/antinutrients
Joyce, J. (2021, January 12). Anti-nutrients – they’re part of a normal diet and not as scary as they sound. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/anti-nutrients-theyre-part-of-a-normal-diet-and-not-as-scary-as-they-sound-149229
Kaushik, G., Singhal, P., & Chaturvedi, S. (2018). Food processing for increased quality and consumption: The case of legumes. Handbook of Food Bioengineering, 1-28. https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780128114476/food-processing-for-increased-quality-and-consumption
Lang, A. (2022, April 7). Is Pozole Healthy? Here’s What a Dietitian Says. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/is-pozole-healthy#benefits
Orchardson, E. (2021, March 2023). What is nixtamalization? CIMMYT. https://www.cimmyt.org/news/what-is-nixtamalization/#:~:text=Nixtamalization%20is%20a%20traditional%20maize,grade%20lime%20(calcium%20hydroxide).
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