orange soup

I am calling this one my 'orange' soup because of the intense rich colour of the ingredients I've used.

Orange foods are high in carotenoids, which have been shown to decrease the risk of cancers, such as; lung, colon, bladder, cervical, breast and skin. Carotenoid consumption also protects against the risk of macular degeneration and cataracts - which is where the old wives tale comes in, that eating carrots will make you see in the dark.

Orange coloured foods help cleanse the body of toxins and stresses. Vitamin C and zinc work together to provide an excellent detoxifying combination helping the body rid itself of heavy metals and other pollutants.

Also high in Vitamins A, C and minerals such as calcium, copper, selenium, zinc - orange foods are a 'must' in your diet.

I made such a large amount of this soup so that I could freeze individual portions to take for lunch at work.

It has been delightfully satisfying and warming over the past week, as we've had a bitter cold snap - I really don't mind, because it means more snow!

Ingredients

(makes 6-8 serves)

2 kg carrots, roughly chopped (skin on)

2 leeks, roughly sliced

2 brown onions, peeled and roughly chopped

2 c pumpkin, cubed (skin off)

1 kumera, roughly chopped (skin on)

1 tsp turmeric, ground

1 tsp cinnamon, ground

1 tsp curry powder

2 tblsp creamed coconut

coconut oil and salt to taste

Place all ingredients except for the creamed coconut, in a large heavy based pot.

Add enough water to cover the vegetables by an inch - bring to the boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 30 mins until vegetables are soft (ie. you can poke a knife easily through).

Turn off heat and stir through creamed coconut.

When cool enough, transfer contents to a blender and process until smooth (you may need to do this in batches).

Return to pot and reheat, adding salt to taste.

Serve and drizzle with a small amount of coconut oil.

apple and tahini breakfast soup

My breakfasts usually include some sort of grain.

I'm not opposed to grains, but I wanted to try something a little different that would be lighter on the digestion.

That's where I came up with the idea of a breakfast soup.

Yes, soup!

My recent tahini addiction forced me to include it somehow and I wanted to keep this recipe as simple as possible.

So, with only 2 or 3 ingredients - this is such an easy and quick breakfast to whip up.

I made this soup straight after a morning workout, so I opted to add a poached egg on top for some extra protein. 

The egg is optional and you can omit this part if you choose.

Ingredients

(serves 1)

1 large apple, roughly chopped

1 tblsp tahini

*Optional: 1 organic free-range egg

Place apple in a small saucepan with enough water to cover 2 inches of the bottom of the pot.

Cook until apple is tender (you can poke a knife easy through).

Remove from heat and combine tahini with the cooked apple in a blender. 

Whiz until pureed.

Serve!

*Optional: 

Bring a small pot of water to the boil. 

Stir the water in an anti-clockwise direction.

While the water is still spinning, crack the egg into the middle of the pot. 

Let the water return to boil for 1 minute.

Using a slotted spoon, scoop out the poached egg draining excess liquid and place on top of the 'soup'.

Sprinkle with a pinch of vanilla salt.