This past weekend we harvested all of the carrots from our garden. We were shocked to see how many there were! We only planted 1 row, but ended up with bowls and bowls of carrots. So in order to use them all while they’re fresh and most tasty, I quickly turned them into my favourite carrot soup. I quadrupled the recipe below and used my 2 largest pots, and still couldn’t get all of the carrots in! I froze most of the soup in both single serving and larger jars that contain 2-3 servings. I always try to make larger quantities of a freezable recipe, for those days when there are no leftovers for lunch, or when life gets crazy and there’s nothing for dinner!
One of the reasons I love soup so much is it’s the easiest way to get in my favourite food ever – bone broth! For full details check out my original post – but to sum it up: homemade broth is pretty much good for everything. Bone broth contains nutrients that helps heal leaky gut, nourishes your joints, keeps your skin/hair/nails strong & healthy, helps heal any damage to & maintains pliability of your arteries…the list goes on. In short – it’s amazing and every single client we have has bone broth on their prescription sheet.
Another reason I love soup is it’s very easy to digest, so if there is any gut irritation, damage or illness, soup is a great way to get nutrients in easily. And you can jam it with way more veggies than any other meal – and again, they’re very easy to digest. Clients I have with major digestive illnesses (celiac, crohn’s, colitis, post-cancer etc.) that are experiencing a flare or are in an acute inflammatory situation, always get the recommendation to avoid raw veggies (which can act like steal wool on a tender gut) and focus on stews and soups. That way you get the nutrients in (in addition to gut-healing bone broth) and don’t add to the irritation!
Ok enough with the science & health (my fav thing) – onto the food (my other fav thing!). I hope you enjoy this recipe for Ginger Carrot Soup!
Notes:
VEGETARIAN/VEGAN OPTION: you can make a pescatarian bone broth with fish bones or shrimp shells, but you can’t make a vegetarian one. If you need a vegetarian broth and don’t want to buy a junk-filled one, use things like mushrooms and sea greens to take your broth to the next level (from a nutrient perspective!)
AIP: to make this suitable for the autoimmune protocol, omit cumin and coriander. Use ½ tbsp of turmeric instead. Add ½ cup fresh cilantro right before pureeing.
Here are a few of my winter tricks. They have saved my bacon over the years. Enjoy!
Crème crécy
2T fat of choice
1 turnip- diced-optional
4 big carrots diced
1 onion diced
2 potatoes diced or 1/2c rice
6c of bone broth
3/4 c almond milk or pastured cream
salt-pepper
1 tomato to sweeten
parsely at the end
in pot sauté all vegetables
add broth
in 20 minutes season to taste- whirr withhand blender and add almond milk or cream
In the winter, I go to frozen vegetables with this formula:
1 onion
3 cups frozen vegetables of choice
broth
almond milk 3/4
same technique as above-
Butternut Squash Soup
3 cups butternut squash diced
1 nutmeg
3 whites of leek
3 cups bone broth
red pepper flakes to taste- I put 1 tsp
salt and pepper
sauté leeks until transparent- add squash- broth- blend- ready in 20 minutes or less.
I freeze the squash diced ahead of time.
In the summer I purchase bulb onions when in season and freeze them ahead too.
Roasted Red Pepper Soup
In the late summer, I purchase big quantities of red peppers when they are fresh and reasonable, roast them in the oven until they collapse. then i cool them and freeze them in ziplocs 4-5 to a bag. When ready to make soup, i defrost, remove the stem and seeds and cook from there. I do not peel them because I think the fiber is beneficial.
1 bag defrosted red peppers
2c defrosted tomatoes
3 whites of leek
3-4 cups bone broth
fresh tarragon
almond milk
same technique- sauté-boil- whirr- add salt pepper tarragon- milk
Yellow bean soup
4c yellow beans- (frozen)
4 shallots
2 leeks
6 cups broth
1 tsp tarragon
salt-pepper
cream-alomond milk
same technique.
Thanks for sharing!