Winter is the time to cozy up with a steaming cup of cocoa, a blanket, and your favorite book or movie. All these are great, but have you tried soups? Warming soups contain spices like ginger and cinnamon, which enhance your circulation and spread warmth throughout the body.
Here are our favorite warming soup recipes.
1. Sweet potato & peanut soup
Garlic, cinnamon, and ginger are all warming and improve your circulation. The peanut butter gives this soup a decadent taste. Red bell peppers add extra vitamin C and deliciousness. Kidney beans help you feel full, while the Jalapeño and ginger clear your sinuses.
INGREDIENTS
3 garlic cloves, minced
Dry roasted peanuts and cilantro
2 red bell peppers, (seeds removed) and cut into ¼ inch squares
1 tbsp. light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tbsp. coconut oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
¾ cup peanut butter
2 peeled medium-sized sweet potatoes, cut into ¼ inch cubes
1 14oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
2 cups water or 2 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp. salt
DIRECTIONS
Warm the coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and onions and cook until they soften, about 5 minutes. Add bell pepper and jalapeño and cook until soft.
Next, add the brown sugar, ginger, cumin, and cinnamon. Stir continuously and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add and stir the peanut butter, distributing evenly.
Add kidney beans, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes. Stir to mix all ingredients evenly.
Add vegetable stock or water, boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until the sweet potatoes are soft (about 30 minutes). Add salt to taste. Garnish with dry roasted peanuts and cilantro.
Serve over quinoa or couscous. Enjoy!
2. Miso mushroom soup with poached eggs
Incan berries have lots of protein, various vitamins, and also a little melatonin, which regulates your sleep cycle. The bacteria in kimchee will keep your gut healthy.
Serves 1
INGREDIENTS
1 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms
4 cups of water
1 tbsp. kimchee (juice included)
A handful of Inca berries
2 tbsp. of chickpea miso paste (blend with 4 tbsp. of warm water to make it a more liquid consistency)
DIRECTIONS
Mix all the ingredients, cook, and pour into a bowl. Poach two eggs, place them on top of the soup. Voila!
3. Simple cauliflower soup
Onions are perfect for when you're sick, and also give the soup an excellent taste. Cauliflower is high in vitamin C and provides an amazingly smooth texture.
Black pepper gives you warmth, is antibacterial, and high in antioxidants!
Serves 8
INGREDIENTS
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 head fresh cauliflower broken into florets
Salt to taste
5 half cups of water, divided
1 tbsp. olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper as desired
DIRECTIONS
Warm the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Gently fry the onion in the olive oil over low heat for about 15 minutes, but don't let it brown.
Add the cauliflower and ½ cup of water. Salt it as desired.
Raise the heat slightly and cover the pot tightly. Let the cauliflower stew for 15-20 minutes or until tender.
Add 4 ½ cups of hot water and simmer over low heat. Cook for an additional 20 minutes with the pot uncovered.
Pour the soup into a blender, puree it in batches until it's very smooth and creamy. You can also use a hand blender dipped directly in the pot. Let the soup stand for 20 minutes.
Add ½ cup of hot water to the soup and reheat it. Serve it hot, sprinkled with black pepper and drizzled with a little olive and oil.
4. Roasted butternut squash soup
Ginger, turmeric, sage, garlic, curry powder, and red pepper flakes make this soup perfectly balanced and gently warming.
INGREDIENTS
Half of a medium butternut squash, about 2.5 cups when pureed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1.5 cups coconut milk
1 quart vegetable broth
Salt to taste
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, finely grated
1.5 tsp. yellow curry powder
½ tsp. ground sage
½ tsp. ground turmeric
⅛ tsp. red pepper flakes
FOR SERVING
Drizzle of oil
Chopped fresh cilantro
Plain yogurt/sour cream
Cooked quinoa
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. As the oven warms, de-seed your squash and drizzle it with olive oil. Leave the skin on. To reduce roasting time, you can cut it into smaller pieces. Put it on a tray and roast it in the oven until it's soft (about 30 minutes). Poke with a fork to test whether it's ready.
In a medium-sized skillet, heat the olive oil to medium. Saute the onion for about 10 minutes until translucent.
Add curry powder, turmeric, ginger, garlic, and sage, and saute for 2 minutes.
Pour this mixture into a blender, together with the coconut milk, cooked squash, and stock. Blend until smooth.
Return the soup into the saucepan and heat to your desired temperature.
Serve with fresh chopped cilantro, cooked quinoa, and top with sour cream. Yum!
With love,
The Sole Toscana Beauty Team