Soups are everyone's go-to comfort food, especially in winter. A bowl of hot soup is something we don't miss, including at least one meal a day. Soups are warm in winter and help build the immune system to cope with the chilling cold. Here are three easy-to-make healthy and heartwarming recipes that you can make at home to find warming comfort.
Purple Sweet Potato Coconut Soup
This soup is best for activating the Chakra
Ingredients
1 tsp coconut oil, ½ medium yellow onion or fennel bulb, chopped, fresh ginger root (1/2-inch piece), thinly sliced, 1 cup full-fat coconut milk, 1 cup vegetable broth, 2 small purple sweet potatoes, baked, 1 tbsp lemon juice, ¼ tsp sea salt, 1 tsp toasted sesame oil, to garnish
Method:
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Add onion and ginger, and sauté, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until tender.
Whisk in coconut milk and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Scoop sweet potato flesh from skins and cut into ½-inch chunks. Add to the pot, and cook for 5 minutes.
Blend to a smooth purée using an immersion blender, or let cool and purée in batches with a regular blender. Stir in lemon juice, and season with salt.
Serve topped with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil.
Creamy Beet Soup
This soup is best to for activating the Crown Chakra.
Ingredients
3 medium purple beets, tops removed, 2 tsp sesame, coconut, or grapeseed oil, 1 yellow onion or fennel bulb, chopped, 3 garlic cloves, minced (reduce or replace with ¾ tsp asafetida for pitta), 1 quart vegetable broth, 1 tsp freshly grated ginger, ½ cup cashews, soaked and drained, ¼ tsp turmeric, ½ tsp sea salt, plus more to taste, ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste, ⅔ cup cashew sour cream (see below), to serve.
Method:
Heat oven to 400°. Place beets in a large Dutch oven or baking dish. Cover and roast for 1 hour, until easily pierced with a fork. Let cool. Remove the skins (they should slip off easily when rubbed), and chop beets.
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until transparent, 5 minutes. Add garlic, and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.
Stir in vegetable broth and roasted beets. Bring to a boil, and cook until beets are heated through. Remove from heat, and let cool.
Working in small batches, transfer beet mixture to a blender and purée with ginger, cashews, turmeric, salt, and pepper until smooth. Transfer soup back to pot, and cook over medium heat, until hot.
Serve topped with a large dollop of cashew sour cream.
Spirulina Cream of Cauliflower Soup
This soup is best to keep your heart healthy
Ingredients:
2 cups baby spinach, packed, 1 avocado, pitted and peeled, ½ English cucumber, roughly chopped, 1 small zucchini, chopped, ½ cup mint leaves, packed, 2 tbsp fresh lime juice, plus more to taste, ¼ cup raw almonds, soaked overnight (optional), ¼ tsp sea salt, plus more to taste, ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste, 1 garlic clove (omit for pitta), watermelon radish, for garnish (optional)
Method
In a blender, combine all ingredients with 2½ cups water, and blend on high until smooth and creamy, 30–60 seconds. Add more water to thin out soup if desired.
Add more mint, lime juice, salt, and pepper to taste.
Serve immediately, garnished with radish or cucumber.
The recipes are from Sahara Rose Ketabi's new cookbook, Eat Feel Fresh: A Contemporary Plant-Based Ayurvedic Cookbook.
