Food Friday - Detox Soup
If your holiday season was anything like mine, it was filled with lots and lots of joy and goodies. By goodies, I mean treats, sweets, roasts, rolls, pies, cakes, and bread, you name it I ate it. It is no wonder gym memberships sky rocket during the month of January. Year after year I eat myself into a food and sugar coma during the holiday season and end up paying for it later. By later, I mean right now. I’ve tried the gym/weight loss thing as a New Year’s resolution and it doesn’t really work for me. I sign up, pay, go once or twice, and feel even more regret than I did on Christmas eve when I ate 4 or 5 (who’s counting?) of grandma’s homemade rolls. If you’ve done away with the whole resolution cliché by making promises you can’t keep, but still feeling the sugar blues from your annual Holiday indulgence, this week’s recipe can help.
Packed with fresh vegetables, vitamins and minerals, and spices, this brothy soup is light, clean, and very satisfying. I love this recipe because it is delicious, full of flavor, and helps my body feel rejuvenated. Blends of citrus, zingy ginger, savory veggies, and a hint of spice, infused with vitamins and minerals all help boost your immune system and keep your belly happy. Because the weather is still frigid, a comforting bowl of hot soup is the perfect healthy meal to get your body back into the swing of things. How about that for a New Year’s resolution? Happy New Year!
Ingredients:
1/2 tablespoon avocado oil (or olive oil)
1 shallot, roughly chopped
3 stalk celery, diced (and celery leaves)
2 carrots, diced
1 leek, halved
1 garlic clove, crushed (not minced)
4 cups low sodium vegetable broth or beef broth (or stock)
2 cups water
3 stalks lemongrass, trimmed and pounded
5 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 tablespoon ginger, grated
½ Serrano pepper, seeded and halved
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon whole cloves
½ teaspoon peppercorns
1 cup fresh shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
2-3 oz baby spinach
Salt
Top with: Optional
Cilantro, chopped
Lime
Avocado
Sprouts
Green onions, thinly sliced
Nori (edible seaweed. Very healthy)
Instructions:
In a large Dutch oven (or large pot) heat oil over medium high heat till shimmering. Add shallot, celery, carrots, leek, and garlic. Sauté vegetables for 5-7 minutes or until browned. Add water and broth to vegetables deglazing the brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
Add lemongrass, dried mushrooms, ginger, pepper, bay leaf, cloves, peppercorns, and 2 teaspoons of salt to pot. Bring mixture to a high simmer, cover, and reduce the heat to low cooking for 35-45 minutes.
Strain the mixture through a fine sieve discarding the remains and return the liquid to the pot over low heat. Stir in mushrooms and spinach. Serve with desired toppings.
Post Written by Kayla V.
