Carrot Ginger Soup

One of my favorite healing soups, this is my take on carrot ginger. I make it with homemade chicken broth, you could also use vegetable broth or water. I use a good amount of ginger, but feel free to play around to find a ginger level that you like.

This makes a large portion of soup that will last for several days. Alternatively, it freezes really well too. Enjoy!

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Carrot Ginger Soup

Note: A high-powered blender will make this soup silky-smooth. If you don't have a high-powered blender, then let the carrots simmer in the broth a bit longer until they're as soft as you need for the blender you have.

Special equipment:
Vitamix or other high-powered blender

3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 medium/large yellow onion, chopped
3-4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
Thumb-size piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2.5 pounds of carrots (about 3 bunches), chopped into pieces about 1/3 - 1/2 inch thick
6 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock or water
1 can full-fat coconut milk
Sea salt to taste (I usually use 2.5-3 teaspoons with unsalted broth)

Heat the coconut oil in a large stock pot over medium heat, add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and stir for a minute. Next add the ginger and sauté for another minute or two more, then finally add the ground cumin and stir well. Everything should be very fragrant at this point.

Next add the carrots and stock (or water) and turn the heat to high. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer, cover the stock pot, and reduce heat down to low. Simmer for 25-30 minutes until the carrots soften a bit (see note above).

Add the coconut milk and stir until it's dissolved. Now it's time to blend the soup, which you will most likely have to do it in batches. You'll need another pot or large bowl for the already pureed soup. When you're done, pour all of the pureed soup back into your original pot and salt to taste. I use unsalted chicken broth and usually put in 2.5-3 teaspoons. If you're using unsalted broth or water, start with 2 teaspoons and go up 1/2 teaspoon at a time, to taste. If you're starting with a salted broth, taste first and then add 1/2 teaspoon at a time as needed until the soup doesn’t taste flat.

Creamy Broccoli Dill Soup

This soup will forever be the first "real" meal my daughter ever ate. As in, the first time she ate the same thing we were eating for dinner (at six and a half months old). I've documented the recipe below exactly the way I made it when Hannah first ate it, to memorialize the occasion.

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Creamy Broccoli Dill Soup

Notes: I use water here, but if you have homemade chicken or vegetable stock around, by all means use it. Also, this soups works really well with a zucchini added in; the zucchini makes it extra creamy. You can easily scale this soup up, just make sure your water just covers your vegetables when you pour it in.

Special equipment:
Vitamix or other high-powered blender

Ahead of time:
1/2 cup cashews soaked in filtered water for 3 hours (if you have a high powered blender, like a Vitamix, you don’t need to pre-soak).

To make the soup:
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2-pound head of broccoli, leaves trimmed and tough stems removed, chopped
2 teaspoons dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
4 cups water or just enough to cover the broccoli
Sea salt to taste

To serve:
Smoked or regular paprika
Olive oil
Cooked quinoa or brown rice, if desired to make it more substantial
Homemade croutons (my kids love this).. Toast bread cubes with some olive oil and/or butter until crispy

Heat olive in a stock pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion is fragrant and a bit translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for a couple minutes more, still stirring. Add the broccoli, dill weed and ground mustard and sauté for a minute or two more. Add the water, bring to a gentle boil, and simmer for about 10 minutes. You want the broccoli to be a bit tender (a little hardness in the stems is OK, particularly if you have a high-power blender) but still bright green.

Pour the soup into a blender, along with the cashews, and blend until smooth. Transfer back to the stock pot and salt to taste. I use about 2 teaspoons of sea salt if I start with water.

You can serve it straight as is, or drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with some smoked paprika and/or with a scoop of quinoa or some homemade croutons for a more substantial meal.

Enjoy!

Strawberry Kale Smoothie

This is our house smoothie and a great way to drink your kale if you need more greens in your life. It’s high in fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A (in the form of beta carotene), vitamin K, folate, and a myriad of other vitamins and minerals. We usually make a big blender full (which we call “mega smoothie”) for all four of us. I’m including the larger version as well as a single version below.

We bought our first Vitamix some years back despite my husband’s resistance and skepticism, which by the way, quickly turned into unabashed enthusiasm once he saw what it could do. If you’re interested in making smoothies to up your family’s fruit and vegetable intake, I highly recommend investing in one. It blends smoothies into creamy oblivion and therefore (scientifically speaking :) will notably increase your produce intake.

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Strawberry Kale Smoothie
Inspired by the Strawberry Cucumber Smoothie from Superfood Smoothies by Julie Morris

Notes: Play around with the proportions that work for you. The big variable is the kale, and how much you can handle before it tastes too “green.” This is different for different people (and kids, ha!). If you’re not sure, start with less and taste. Then add more and re-blend if you feel like it could use more. I usually use Lacinato kale, but curly kale also works. Also, you may choose to add more or a bit less water, depending on whether you prefer a thicker milkshake-like smoothie or a thinner juice-like one. If you’d like it more creamy, add more cashews. If you’d like it sweeter, add another date or two.

Special equipment:
Vitamix or other high-powered blender

Single serving portion:
Small handful raw cashews (about 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons)
Generous 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
Filtered water to cover most (but not quite all) of the strawberries
1 Medjool date, pitted
1 1/2 inch piece of a medium cucumber
2-4 medium Lacinato kale leaves, de-stemmed

4 serving portion:
1/2 cup raw cashews
3 cups frozen strawberries
Filtered water
3 Medjool dates, pitted
1/3 - 1/2 medium cucumber, roughly sliced
Between 1/2 and 1 bunch kale (depending on size and preference), leaves de-stemmed

Put the cashews in the blender, followed by the strawberries, and pour in the filtered water to almost cover the strawberries (I stop about an inch and a half before the top of the strawberries). If you don’t have a high-powered blender, it helps to let the cashews and strawberries soften up in the water for a bit before blending. Add the dates, cucumber and kale and blend until smooth. Drink and enjoy :)