Dr. Will Cole and Vietnamese Beef and Pumpkin Soup

Check out the recipe I created for Dr. Will Cole's patients as they navigate their elimination diet

Vietnamese Style Beef and Pumpkin Soup

I had the fun and honor of creating a few fall recipes and cooking videos for Dr. Will Cole’s patients. He is a highly regarded doctor of Functional Medicine and has written numerous books. He also has a podcast called The Art of Being Well. His patients go through an initial elimination diet and have a dashboard that provides resources to improve outcomes. One resource is live cooking classes recorded on their dashboard, teaching them new ways to use ingredients they may be unfamiliar with as they embark on this shift in how they eat to support their health. 

The diet consists mostly of nourishing broths, meats, healthy fats and plenty of vegetables. It also eliminates soy(sauce) and nightshades (tomatoes and peppers among others) further restricting the palette.

While an elimination diet allows the taste buds to rest and reset, I still like to keep the taste buds engaged. Introducing new flavors and textures to continue to evolve your taste buds to be more discerning. As this happens, a new relationship with flavor and wellness begins. 

With fall impending, the theme for this super fun project was of course, PUMPKINS! Or rather, winter squash. There are so many varieties of heirloom pumpkins and squashes available right now, but they are for more than a seasonal decor.

All the delightfully colored and shaped gourds also have beautiful textures and flavors.

Despite your Thanksgiving bias for sweet pumpkin renditions, these fruits of fall are eaten in a savory fashion the world over. 

Another misconception is that the skin is somehow inedible. Generally the skin is definitely edible and entirely delicious. Think about it like we think about potatoes and potato skins. As such, it’s simple to cook, beyond needing a sharp knife that is!

I’ll be posting the videos on the site soon!