At Sagora Senior Living we are constantly creating new experiences to engage our residents and find exciting ways to showcase our amazing communities and how we truly embrace each moment we create together! For our communities, the month of February is “Love by The Spoonful.” We are happy to share the love we have for our residents, families, and team members as well as our ever-growing fondness for creative soups! Today we take a pause to thank our culinary team for the nourishment and love they provide to our residents.
At Sagora Senior Living, we’re all about crafting healthy, delicious culinary selections for residents. Our expert Culinary Directors work hard at creating meals that improve overall wellness, while tasting great in the process. We help seniors improve brain health through diet and our Culinary Directors utilize proven diets that have tremendous benefits. Specifically, our culinary teams focus on low-inflammation diets like the Mediterranean Diet. Inflammation plays a large role in chronic illness, and reducing inflammation can lead to better heart health.
The Mediterranean Diet built upon the diets of those in Europe who had less heart disease and heart attacks within their population. The reason for this was simple, their traditional diets avoided some of the things in modern foods that can be harmful. Thus, it has become a diet that many follow in America. Those who are trying to follow a Mediterranean Diet are encouraged to consume the following foods: vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, potatoes, herbs, species, extra virgin olive oil, fish, and seafood. The following foods should be consumed in moderation: poultry, cheese, refined yogurt, eggs, and other dairy products. Red meat, sugary beverages, refined oils and grains and processed meats (such as lunch meats) should be avoided or consumed rarely.
Here are some soup recipes that our Culinary Directors utilize to follow these recommendations:
Tuscan White Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 large red onion (188g) finely diced
- 4 ribs of celery finely diced
- 1 large carrot or two medium-sized carrots 226g, diced
- 5 cloves garlic (12g) minced
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (or 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried parsley, 1 teaspoon dried basil)
- 30 ounces of cooked white kidney beans
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup kale shredded
- juice of 1 lime
Instructions
- In a large, deep pot over medium heat, add the oil so that it heats up.
- Add the onions, celery and carrots, salt, and pepper. Stir together and allow to sauté for about 8 minutes, until the onions are translucent, and the carrots are softened.
- Add in the garlic and stir to combine. Cook for another 5 minutes until the garlic is fragrant and the veggies begin to look caramelized.
- Add in the Italian seasoning, and kidney beans and stir to combine.
- Pour in the vegetable broth and stir again.
- Bring to a boil, and then to a simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Remove 2 cups of the soup (with veggies in it – just scoop two cups out) and add to your blender. Add the ½ cup of water to that mix, and blend until completely smooth). Pour this mix back into your soup and stir to combine.
- Stir in the kale and lime juice. The residual heat will help to add heat to all of these.
- Allow soup to cool slightly then serve with some bread! Enjoy!
Spiced Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ¼ medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves roasted garlic, minced (recipe here)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon freshly minced ginger
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon coriander
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 large bay leaf
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 slices cooked bacon
- 3 tablespoons leftover bacon grease
Instructions
- Brown butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Once it’s dark golden in color, add onions, garlic, and ginger to the pan. Let cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Once onions are translucent, add spices and stir well. Let this cook for 1-2 minutes, then add pumpkin and chicken broth into the pan. Stir in well.
- Bring to boil, then turn to low and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, use immersion blender to puree everything smoothly.
- Let simmer for an additional 20 minutes. In the meantime, cook 4 slices of bacon.
- Once the soup is done, add heavy cream and bacon grease and mix well.
- Crumble bacon over the top and optionally add chopped parsley and 2 tbsp. sour cream
Across the nation we have amazing culinary teams that pour their hearts into tasty and nutritious meals for our residents and provide love by the spoonful. Today we would like to shine the light on Thelusma Xavier (nicknamed XMan) of The Brennity at Vero Beach. In honor of 20 years of Excellent Service in our Culinary Department, he was recognized with a new culinary coat. Thank you XMan for your years of service and your dedication to our residents by consistently following our resident-first philosophy!
We at Sagora Senior Living are so appreciative of the culinary teams in our communities that give so much of themselves to nourish our residents. We see you. We thank you. We treasure you. Take a moment to thank the culinary team today in a way that is meaningful to them — it may be a small thing to you, but it may make a bigger difference in their lives than you will ever know.
We are proud to play a vital role in helping seniors live longer and the best life possible. With 62 communities in 12 different states, Sagora Senior Living offers seniors the chance to live in active, social communities where they can thrive on a daily basis.
To find out more, tour your local Sagora Senior Living community!