Creamy Pumpkin Curry Soup

Pumpkin everything is going on in my kitchen these days. I love the colors and flavors of fall. Here's one of my favorite creations this season so far. You can use any variety of pumpkin, squash, or carrots as a base for this. They're all delicious.

Ingredients

1 medium sugar pie pumpkin

1 Tablespoon coconut oil

1 onion, sliced

1 clove garlic

4 cups homemade vegetable stock, spring water, or almond milk

1 Tablespoon curry powder

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon Garam masala (optional)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Juice of 1 lemon

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
2. Cut pumpkin in half and scoop out seeds with a spoon. Don't discard seeds, you can make use of them!
3. Lay the pumpkin halves face down on a baking dish and add a bit of water to cover the bottom of the dish. Bake for 45-60 minutes, until tender. When fully cooked, pumpkin can easily be separated from skin and scooped out with a spoon.
4. Transfer pumpkin to blender, add remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Serves 6

Leave me a comment below to share how your fall curry creation came out!

x,

Giovanna

Summer Minty Gazpacho

Perfect for a summer day. Gazpacho is also a great way to get in a variety of vegetables at once. The beauty of this recipe is that you can't go wrong with what ingredients you use. This is all I had on hand, but feel free to use any vegetables you'd like (still including tomatoes though). I would throw in some cauliflower and bell pepper, or broccoli, yum!

Ingredients

2 pounds ripe heirloom or early girl tomatoes, cores removed and roughly chopped

1 cucumber, roughly chopped

1 small red onion, peeled and roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Chili flakes, to taste

Sea salt, to taste

Procedure

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until combined, but leave chunks for texture. I use "pulse" setting instead of "process" setting to make sure not to over process. Taste and adjust seasoning.
2. Plate and top with toppings of choice.

Serves 4

Enjoy! x

Healing Bone Broth

Bone broth is incredibly healing. It has been used for years to treat illnesses and speed up recovery and healing. Health benefits of bone broth:

• Promotes healthy bones
• Heals and supports gut health and digestion
• Inhibits infection
• Reduces joint pain
• Reduces inflammation
• Promotes healthy hair and nail growth.

Bone broth can be made with chicken, turkey, duck, lamb, or beef bones. I chose to use beef bone marrow for this one. It doesn't matter what you choose to use, but you must make sure they are organically-raised, pastured or grass-fed animals in order to get the health benefits.

Making bone broth can be a nurturing process if you allow it to be. The more love you put into it, the more healing and nutritious it will be for you and your family. It's a great staple to have at home. And the best part is that you can make huge batches like this one and store in the freezer to have for a few months. This will be your best health supplement. Use it as a base for soups, sauces, or drink it as is.

Ingredients

3.5-4 pounds organic, grass-fed bones. I used beef bone marrow.

4 Tablespoons unfiltered apple cider vinegar

Filtered water, enough to fill pot

4 large kombu strips

4 Tablespoons dulse flakes

4 large carrots, roughly chopped

4 stalks celery, roughly chopped

1 bunch parsley

1/4 cup goji berries

1 Tablespoon organic ground turmeric or a large chunk of fresh turmeric (peeled)

Procedure:

1. Place bones and apple cider vinegar in a large stock pot. Fill pot with water and let sit for 30 minutes with the heat off. The acid in the vinegar helps extract the minerals from the bones.
2. Turn on heat and bring to a simmer, removing scum that rises to the surface for the first hour of cooking. Cover loosely and continue simmering on low for 24-48 hours. The longer, the better. I simmered it for about 28 hours total. You will need to add water along the way to keep bones completely covered.
3. Add remaining ingredients for the last hour of cooking.
4. Strain broth and place in air tight containers. Let cool completely before storing in the refrigerator. Broth will keep in the refrigerator for 5 days or in the freezer for a few months.
5. The next day, there will be a layer of fat on the surface. You can discard this, use it for cooking, or stir it back in - it contains valuable nutrients.

Makes ~20-24 cups 

Don't be afraid to use your choice of herbs, spices, or vegetables to give it your own therapeutic touch.

Happy healing!

Will you be making this therapeutic drink? Let me know in the comments below. 

Creamy Carrot-Ginger Soup

'Tis the season for a warm and comforting soup on a cold or rainy night. Vegetables and fruits have their seasons for a reason. When in season, they provide the most nutritional value, most flavor, and are cheaper. During fall and winter seasons, starchy vegetables are at their peak season to provide warmth and antioxidants that help us fight cold and flu symptoms. Starchy vegetables include: all types of squash, yams, beets, and carrots. Other warming foods include: ginger, mustard, garlic, and onion. To get the most out of your food, make sure you eat a variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables every week.

This carrot-ginger soup is the easiest creamy soup you will ever make. It's dairy-free, gluten-free, and very anti-inflammatory.

Carrot soup

Ingredients 

1 Tablespoon extra virgin coconut oil

1 medium onion, sliced

4-5 large carrots or 1 bunch of carrots, coarsely chopped

4 cups filtered water or vegetable broth

2-inch piece of ginger root, sliced

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Sea salt to taste

Procedure

1.  Heat coconut oil in a medium stock pot. Add sliced onion and pinch of sea salt. Cook until onion is translucent, stirring occasionally. Add chopped carrots and cook for another 5-8 minutes. Add sliced ginger and water and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes, covered, until carrots are soft.
2. Carefully transfer everything to a blender and blend until smooth (You may have to do this in batches if it doesn't all fit). Tip: Take off plastic part of blender lid and cover with a towel to avoid spilling. Place hand over towel before starting blender.If you leave the cap on, the soup will overflow because it is too hot.Once soup is blended completely, add lemon juice and pinch of sea salt. Taste and adjust as needed. Serve.

Serves 4-6

Spicy Avocado Soup

I've been playing with my new Vitamix way too much. It's been weeks of soups, puddings, and smoothies. I have made variations of avocado soup before, but this one is my favorite so far. This is a perfect summer soup, creamy and refreshing. It's very easy to make and you don't need any fancy equipment. Any type of blender will do.

Ingredients

2 avocados

2 garlic cloves

2 green onions

1 cucumber, peeled

1 teaspoon tamari (can omit)

3/4 cup water or vegetable broth

1/2 cup fresh parsley or cilantro

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon coriander

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

juice of 1/2 lemon

pinch of sea salt

pinch of black pepper

Procedure

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth, about 2 minutes. Taste and adjust flavor to your liking. Serve and garnish with cayenne pepper or fresh herbs.

Serves 4