Warming Winter Soups

Just thought I would share a couple of belly warming recipes to soothe the soul and feed the body.

Carrot Ginger
(serves 4)

1 small yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 piece (3 inches long) fresh organic ginger, washed and coarsely chopped
1 ¼ lbs. carrots, sliced ¼ inch thick (about 4 cups)
About 5 cups low sodium vegetable broth
½ cup fresh orange juice (very good even if you do not use this)
pinch of ground nutmeg
Real Salt and freshly ground pepper
Optional: 1/3 cup organic coconut milk for a rich creamy texture with metabolic boosting properties.

Place first 5 ingredients into a soup pot and bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat and simmer about 25 to 30 minutes until carrots are tender. Using an immersion blender, puree soup in pot until smooth. Add the nutmeg, salt (to taste) and black pepper. Add the coconut milk if using. Serve garnished with fresh snipped chives if desired.

Note: This soup is really nice with half of the carrots substituted with chopped cauliflower.
For an ethnic flavor try omitting the nutmeg and adding 2 t. of your favorite curry powder.

Middle Eastern Chickpea and Cabbage Soup

1 cup dried chickpeas, rinsed
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cups water
1 large yam, peeled and cubed
1 small can tomatoes or 2 small fresh
1 small head cabbage, shredded
3/4 cup minced fresh dil
2 teaspoons tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste

Cover chickpeas with water (at least 2 inches over level of peas) and soak 12 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse.
Add the onion and chickpeas to a large saucepan or stock pot and cover with 5 cups water. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low, cover partially, and simmer for 1 hour.
Add yam, tomato, cabbage, tomato paste, salt, pepper and remaining cup of water. Cover and simmer for 1 more hour, adjust seasonings, add dill and serve.

This one is almost like dessert!

Raw and Rich Sweet Potato Soup

Note: I highly recommend a high speed blender for this recipe. Please check out my amazon store at http://astore.amazon.com/devana-20 for suggestions on great kitchen tools and more.

32 oz. fresh carrot juice

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed

4 dates, pitted

1 avocado, pitted and peeled

several dashes pumpkin pie spice

Blend all until smooth. Enjoy as much as you like! For warm soup, heat gently over a low flame to retain the “rawness”.