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Recipe of the Month: January – Spicy Sweet Potato Soup
January 08th, 2016
A Happy New Year to everyone from WCHC.
So, the time for indulgence is over! Evenings sipping mulled wine are over for another year; the turkey carcass lies empty and even the Christmas cake has nearly gone in most families.
January is a great time to kick-start a healthier life style and many people include taking up some sort of exercise routine as part of their new year’s resolution.
From a nutritional point of view, it is the liver, which really deserves our attention at this time of year. This remarkable organ, which processes a wide range of chemicals, hormones, bacteria and food on a daily basis, is well worth nourishing after a period of intense eating and drinking. Key nutrients are antioxidants to disable free radicals, sulphur amino acids to help phase two detoxification and a good supply of B vitamins and magnesium.
Specific foods to provide these nutrients include turmeric, ginger, cruciferous vegetables, berries, onions, garlic and citrus fruits.
Below is a favourite soup of my family, which includes some of these ingredients.
Spicy Sweet Potato Soup
(This makes 2 litres: -enough for 7-8 portions)
Ingredients
- 1tblsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp cumin seeds, crushed
- 1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
- ½ inch of fresh ginger grated
- 1 green chilli seeded and chopped
- Zest and juice of 1 lime
- 1 tsp honey
- 340g sweet potato, diced
- 340g butter nut squash, diced
- 1.2 litres of vegetable stock
- 400g tinned chick peas, drained
- Seasoning
- Handful of fresh coriander leaves, chopped
Method
- Heat the oil and fry the onion and garlic in a covered saucepan for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the spices, ginger, chilli, lime zest and honey. Stir well.
- Add the sweet potato and butternut squash. Add the juice of half the lime and the vegetable stock.
- Cover and bring to the boil and simmer for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are almost tender.
- Add the chickpeas and check seasoning. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Add the other half of the lime juice and liquidize until smooth.
- Reheat gently and stir in coriander leaves just before serving.
- Garnish with a swirl of natural yoghurt.
If you feel your health is not as good as you would want it to be for 2016 then please call the centre on 01394 388234 to ask about a nutritional consultation or visit my page here.
Nicky Seabrook BSc.Dip.IONmBANT CNHC