Soups are my go to when it comes to Winter but as for Summer, not many people would think to enjoy a nice bowl of steaming liquid in severe heat. Unfortunately my autoimmune disease doesn’t discriminate according to seasons and instead I tend to eat foods my gut can tolerate. When I make a soup, I add in spices to target issues I’m experiencing at the time. This carrot and sweet potato soup is filled with turmeric and ginger – both known for their anti-inflammatory properties. Perfect for when I have muscle aches and an upset stomach.
This was the recipe to my very first soup. Ever. I’m the “why would I waste time and money on making a homemade soup when I can just buy a can” kind of girl. That was until I looked into exactly what they were putting into canned soups. It was actually concerning.
To list a few, here are some of the hidden nasties in your canned soups –
- BPA’s – an industrial chemical that has been used to make certain plastics and resins. Some research has shown that they can seep into food or beverages from containers that are made with BPA. It is an endocrine disrupter – interfering with a person’s hormones.
- MSG is often used to flavour the canned soup. If you are sensitive to MSG, it can cause muscle tightness, fatigue, numbness or tingling and hives.
- GMO’s and pesticides – creating a build up of toxins in your body, nutritional problems and increases your chances of developing food sensitivities.
- Excess sodium – which increases blood pressure because it holds excess fluid in the body, and that creates an added burden on the heart.
I think it’s safe to say I’d much rather make my soups from scratch now! Yes, it takes a little longer but I can’t compare that to the damage a canned soup will do to my body in the long run.
What’s your favourite homemade soup? If you do get a chance to give this a go, don’t forget to tag a photo with #live_minimal or @live_minimal on Instagram so I can see how your soup turns out!
Looking for another meal that’s easy to make when you’re under the weather? Be sure to try my anti-inflammatory noodle soup recipe.
- 4 carrots
- 1 medium sweet potato
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 Tbsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 3/4 cup coconut milk
- Fresh parsley and coconut milk to serve
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Preheat the oven to 200ºC / 400ºF.
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Peel and chop carrots, sweet potato and onion - try to make these smaller in size and equal proportions to ensure everything roasts at the same time.
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Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Add the carrots, sweet potato, onion and garlic. Mix the coconut oil, turmeric and cayenne together and pour over the vegetables - make sure all vegetables are evenly coated.
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Roast for 15 minutes, take out of the oven and turn the vegetables. This prevents the vegetables from burning.
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Roast for another 15 minutes.
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Remove from the oven and let the vegetable sit until cooled. Approximately 20 minutes.
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Transfer into a blender with the vegetable stock and ginger.
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Blend the ingredients until smooth and creamy.
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Boil mixture, pour in coconut milk and season with salt.
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Pour the soup into serving bowls, garnish with fresh parsley and coconut milk.
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Enjoy!
