Isn’t it funny how at the very first signs of fall we jump right into sweater wearing and soup making? But what’s this season without some healthy and hearty soup dinners? Not only are they easy to put together in large batches, but they last several days, make great leftovers and are immensely satisfying.
Now lets talk about detox soups. Have you heard of them? They are designed to cleanse the body of toxins which accumulate from eating overly processed foods, artificial sweeteners, refined sugars and flour, hormone based dairy and meats and other commercially made foods.
Detox soups are one of the ways we can help ward off the autumn cold or winter flu. The key to boosting the immune system is supporting our organs of cleansing, detoxing and elimination. So today we have three new detox soup recipes for you to try! And we promise you’ll love them.
Recipe
DETOX CROCKPOT LENTIL SOUP from PINCH OF YUM
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 6 hours
Yield: 8 servings
Place all ingredients in the crockpot. Cover and cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 7-8 hours.
Place about 4 cups of soup in a blender with the olive oil. Pulse gently until semi-smooth and creamy-looking (the oil will form a creamy emulsion with the soup.) Add back to the pot and stir to combine. Stir in the kale and parsley. Turn the heat off and let it cool down before serving.
Season to taste (add the sherry, vinegar, and / or lemon juice at this point).
Ingredients (for the crockpot):
- 2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
- 2 cups carrots, peeled and sliced
- 2 cups potatoes, chopped
- 2 cups celery, chopped
- 1 cup green lentils
- 3/4 cup yellow split peas (or use more lentils)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 8-10 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons herbs de provence
- 1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
Ingredients (to add at the end):
- 2-3 cups kale, stems removed, chopped
- 1 cup parsley, chopped
- 1/2 cup olive oil - rosemary olive oil or other herb oil
- a swish of sherry, red wine vinegar or lemon juice
Recipe
DETOX SWEET POTATO LENTIL SOUP from LITTLE SPICE JAR
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 6 hours
Yield: 6-8 servings
Place the sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, red bell pepper, garlic, lentils, spices and 6 cups of broth into a slow cooker. Cover and cook on the low setting for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. Check the lentils for doneness.
Place half the soup into a blender along with a little additional broth (1/2 cup or so) and blend till smoothish. Alternately, you can use an immersion blender directly in the slow cooker but be sure to not blend all of the soup if you want it to have a chunkier texture. Add the puree back into the low cooker. Stir in the baby spinach and lemon juice. Cover the slow cooker, unplug it, and allow the ingredients to sit for 30 minutes or so until the pinch wilts down.
Season with salt, pepper and curry powder to taste, as desired. Thin with additional broth to desired consistency. Serve warm with whipped greek yogurt, fried pita bread, and tons of fresh herbs (parsley or cilantro) on top.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 cup carrots, chopped
- 1 cup onions, chopped
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 1/2 cups green or brown lentils, rinsed
- 1 1/2 teaspoon coriander
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon curry powder (more to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 6-7 cups low sodium broth (vegetable or chicken)
- 2 1/2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup lemon juice or lemon wedges for serving
Recipe
DETOX BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP from PINCH OF YUM
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Yield: 5 servings
Heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion garlic and potatoes. Saute until softened, about 10 minutes.
Add broccoli, vegetable broth and almond milk. Simmer until bubbly and broccoli is bright green, about 5 minutes.
Using tongs, pull out most of the broccoli pieces and set aside. Blend the soup, sans broccoli, to a creamy, cheesy-looking consistency and then add the broccoli. Pulse a few times to mix it in. This will likely need to be done in batches. Return to pot; stir in nutritional yeast and salt. Taste, adjust if needed and serve.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1-2 stalks celery, chopped
- 4-5 large carrots, chopped
- 1 large potato, peeled and chopped
- 2-3 cups broccoli florets
- 2-3 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups almond milk
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional)
- 1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons sea salt
- croutons