Soup Season is Here

The air is cooler, the wind is brisker, and the sky is darker. It must be fall. Time for sweaters and blankets and soup. Soup is a comfort food. It nurtures us, reminds us of being taken care of, and can be full of healthy ingredients that nourish us. This month’s recipe is of a rich, creamy, smoky vegetable soup that is hearty enough to be a meal.

Blender Love

I love my Vitamix. We use it to make smoothies for breakfast or dessert, an amazing caramel sauce made from dates, and a multitude of blended soups. You don’t have to use a Vitamix. Any high-speed blender will do. If you don’t have a blender you can mash the cooked vegetables with a potato masher but make sure you peel the skin from the peppers first.

Veggie Choices

The vegetables I choose for this soup vary with what I have around the house. Often I will make a huge mess of a variety of roasted vegetables and put some in bowls for meals and some I will put into the soup. Here is a list of the vegetables I use most when making this soup.

• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Garlic
• Onion
• Sugar snap peas
• Brussels sprouts
• Red/yellow/orange peppers
• Carrots
• Zucchini
• Squash
• Sweet potatoes
• Chickpeas
• Beans
• Lentils

Thick as thieves

The blending makes it thick but adding the chickpeas and sweet potato make it even thicker. Another trick to thickening soup is to add cashews and blend away. I like this soup to be thick and hearty.

Immune boosting

The vegetables are loaded with healthy vitamins and minerals. During the fall season, we need to increase our vitamin A and C intake and this soup is a great way to do that. Vitamin A is a great anti-viral and vitamin C is necessary for a healthy immune system.

Sweet suggestion

For a sweeter soup, I will limit the roasted vegetables to red pepper, carrots, squash, sweet potato and chickpeas. I will add cinnamon and nutmeg and a splash of maple syrup.

Download the recipe here and let me know what combinations you like best.

Dr. Stacey