This is a guest post by Jenny
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A simple soup that is so easy to make and contains tonnes of good stuff.
That good stuff includes: healthy fats + calcium + fibre + protein + anti-inflammatory vegies +
Wintertime is all about soups and let’s face it, it’s the perfect excuse to have tasty bread. This soup is full of lots of vegies as well as healthy fats. Don’t be scared of coconut cream. Yes it’s saturated fat but it they are medium-chain triglycerides which means it is easily digested, converts to energy really easily and helps your body use fat for energy rather than storing it. It is also full of lauric acid which has anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. Coconut products are very popular at the moment, they are brilliant for your immune system, metabolism and heart health. Years ago they used to feed coconut oil to livestock to try to fatten them up – it didn’t work, the animals became leaner.
And…
If you want to try something different to plain old bread and butter why not try these brilliant dairy-free alternatives:
- sunflower seed butter – try to buy one without added oil or preservatives or easily make your own by toasting sunflower seeds then blending in food processor – you also have the great nut-free butter alternative for baking or school lunchbox sandwiches. This is a brilliant toast spread with jam or banana.
- coconut butter is a staple in our house – You can easily make your own by filling up your food processor with shredded or desiccated coconut and blending for a few minutes until it turns into a runny paste, store in a jar, will last for weeks. We use this as a toast spread as well as a brilliant cake frosting when mixed with lemon zest & lemon juice.
This soup has become a regular in our house lately. A batch of this lasts for a good few dinners when accompanied by some nice sourdough bread. If your household is smaller you may want to freeze some for an easy dinner another time.
Ingredients:
2 carrots (roughly chopped)
2 onions (roughly chopped)
1 garlic
2 teaspoons ginger
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 large zucchini’s (roughly chopped)
1 cauliflower (break off florets)
4 cups of vegetable stock
*I added a broccoli stem that I defrosted from the freezer (tip: never throw out your broccoli stems, they are just as nutritious as the florets, i usually chop them up and add to stirfries or throw into the freezer for soup)
1 can of coconut cream or coconut milk
3 tablespoons of tahina (sesame seed paste – Woollies Macro brand is great – organic and additive-free, only costs $5 for a jar and it will last for ages)
Shredded coconut to serve
Method:
♥Roughly chop carrots, onions, garlic and ginger and sauté in a large pot with the coconut oil for about ten minutes until onions start to go translucent.
♥Add zucchini, cauliflower and vegetable stock (i added a broccoli stem at this stage too, if you aren’t going to freeze i would take this opportunity to add any extra vegies you had lying around in the freezer).
♥Bring to the boil then reduce heat and let simmer for about an hour.
♥Cool down and blend with the stick blender.
Add can of coconut cream and tahini.
♥Reheat, top with shredded coconut and serve with bread.
Are you a soup lover? What’s your favourite winter soup?
Jenny Wright is a Women’s Health Counsellor who lives in Brisbane with her husband Julian and two children, Gordon and Maggie. She is a founder of Hello Great Health where she offers individual support to women to change their health and life through a balanced approach to health.
