Easy Seaweed "Egg Drop" Soup [Low Carb]

This is a really easy, quick soup that I even make for breakfast on chilly mornings. Organic sea vegetable like kelp or dulse provide a wide array of vital minerals and nutrients, especially natural iodine. Iodine is necessary for proper function of the thyroid and has been shown to strongly benefit those with hypothyroidism. Note that too much iodine can actually block the thyroid function, so (as always) use common sense and eat it in moderation.

Sea vegetables offer high fiber, iron, calcium, vitamin C, B vitamins (pantothenic acid, riboflavin, folate), zinc, copper, and vitamin K, magnesium and manganese. Many to all of these vitamins and minerals are lacking for Celiacs and others with malabsorption issues. Nutrion Data information for kelp is here, but there are many other varieties of seaweed with fantastic health benefits. A great simple guide to the different kinds of seaweed is at World's Healthiest Foods. Their recipe for shitaki mushroom and seaweed soup is pretty good, but I prefer more protein; I replace mushrooms with free range eggs in the recipe below. If you are vegan or just don't do eggs, their soup might appeal to you more. This is my version of egg drop soup without the cornstarch (just extra carbs to thicken it). If you are concerned with glycemic index and carb count, try arrowroot as a thickener.

2 c. water
2 c. low sodium organic vegetable broth* (we use Pacific brand since it is gluten free and vegan)
~4 T. organic kelp/sea vegetable flakes
2 free range eggs, scrambled in bowl
dash sea salt and pepper
1 t. minced fresh ginger

Combine water and broth in a medium pot. Turn up the heat to get the water boiling. In the meantime, whip the eggs in a separate bowl. I sometimes whisk my eggs with coconut milk for an extra flavor and nutrient boost, but this is optional. Mince the fresh ginger finely in a food processor or by hand. Once the broth is boiling, add the ginger, kelp, and seasonings. Reduce heat to low and quickly stir in the eggs into the hot broth, whisking with the fork as you slowly pour the egg in. Serve immediately.

* If you'd rather make your own broth, that's fantastic! Homemade stock is easy - be creative. I will be making a post in the future about basic broth or soup stock, but recently Melissa, the nutritionist yoga guru over at Gluten Free for Good, gave a great "recipe" outline for how to make a fantastic health soup stock. I also have many soup recipes which are vegan, vegetarian, or grass fed meat-based.