Today I'm Thinking | About Soups!
Today I’m Thinking | Blog Post #9
Autumn. This is my favorite season. There is something so special and rewarding about the fall months. At least in Arizona, where temps are frequently over 110° in the summer, the promise of cooler weather brings hope of better days ahead. When I finally get to pull out my sweatshirts and socks my heart flutters a little bit knowing that the next several months will be ideal for dog parks, long walks, bike rides to our favorite coffee shops and restaurants, and the cozy feeling of bundling up under blankets at home. Happy sigh. As we begin to settle in for our “long winter’s nap” (among the palm trees and 70° afternoons lol) it’s time for comfort food!
Ayurveda is big time into warm, grounding foods. During long, hot summer days that can be hard to follow, but once October rolls around, it’s finally time to sip on warm beverages, and make soups. Yay! The recipes below are easy to digest as they are made with whole foods, gently cooked, and some are even blended. Great for gut-health.
Here are a few of my favorite soupy recipes. These are vegetarian based but if you’re needing a bit more protein, just add a good quality bone broth in place of the water or veg broth.
Happy cooking!
Only Zucchini Soup (serves 2)
The first time I made this soup I thought I would be bored to tears. It’s the easiest ingredient list ever. Let me tell you though, this is not a boring soup! Strangely it tastes a bit like broccoli cheddar soup and hits the spot every single time. You can have this soup whipped up in 20 minutes from start to finish and feel good about what you put in your body.
How To:
2 medium zucchini or summer squash
1 tsp ghee
1 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
Cut the zucchini or yellow squash in half lengthwise, then into 1/2 inch-thick half moons. In a medium-size saucepan, fry the zucchini or squash in the ghee over medium heat until tender, 5-7 minutes. Add water and salt. Cook on medium heat until warm. Remove from heat. With an immersion hand blender, process until smooth.
Sweet Potato and Mung Bean Deliciousness (serves 4)
This is my all-time favorite cold weather dish. It’s incredibly healthy, unique, and tasty. It’s not quite a stew, not quite a dal, not quite a soup - it’s in a league of its own. The yogurt gives this warm, grounding dish just a little coolness and adds flavor. To add a little more heartiness to this dish you can add a side of rice or local bread.
How To:
5 cups water or broth
1 cup green mung beans, rinsed and soaked overnight
1 tsp Winter Spice Mix (coriander, cumin, turmeric, salt, ginger, black pepper, dehydrated sugarcane)
2 cups cubed sweet potatoes
4 medium leaves Swiss chard
1 tbsp ghee
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup fresh sprouted mung beans
4 tbsp yogurt for garnish
In a large saucepan on high heat, begin to boil the water or broth. Drain the soaked mung beans and add to the water or broth, along with the spice mix. Boil for 10 minutes. Add cubed potatoes or carrots. Turn heat to low, partially cover, and set the timer for 30 minutes. While the dal simmers, slice chard into thin ribbons and add for the remaining simmer time, partially covered. In a small frying pan, warm the ghee on medium heat and sauté the cumin and mustard seeds until you can smell them, just 2-3 minutes. If the mustard seeds are popping out, cover the pan.
Pour the spiced ghee into the pot with the beans and vegetables. Add the salt and the sprouted beans, partially cover, and boil until the timer goes off. Serve as a stew, perhaps over rice, with a tablespoon-sized dollop of yogurt on top of each serving.
Cauliflower Leek Soup (serves 2)
I love topping this soup with something crunchy like pumpkin seeds, crunchy/roasted chickpeas, or croutons. This is a great one to make for company as it’s a new take on potato leek soup that everyone is familiar with. The leek and spices give this soup lots of flavor.
How To:
2 tsp oil (Ayurveda suggests sunflower or safflower oil but I usually use high-quality olive)
1 small head cauliflower
1 leek
4 cups broth
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp dried basil
dash cayenne pepper
black pepper and pink salt to taste
Warm the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. While it is warming, chop the white part of the leek into 1-inch pieces. Sauté the leek in the oil for 5 minutes, until soft. Add cauliflower, broth, and spices to the saucepan and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, until cauliflower is soft. Remove from heat and puree the soup, right in the saucepan, with an immersion blender until smooth. For carafe blenders, transfer the contents of the saucepan into the carafe and cool 2-3 minutes. Begin blending on low and increase speed until smooth.
Kitchari
In the tradition of Ayurveda, kitchari is a staple. It is wonderful to make during any kind of reset period like shifting between seasons, healing from a cold, or needing a metal or physical cleanse. Kitchari is easy to digest, has lots of beneficial nutrients, and is deeply grounding. I am in love with Kate O’Donell’s easy approach to often complicated recipes. Check out her grounding kitchari recipe and give it a try. While it’s not exactly a soup, it’s soothing and wonderful for the season.
*All recipes taken from Kate O’Donnell’s cookbook “The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook"