The leaves have changed and are falling. We’re waking up to frost on the ground. It must be soup season!
According to Ayurveda, the yogic science of life, fall is really a combination of late summer days and early winter. It is best for your constitution to eat with the season, so you can really go back and forth between salads and soups at this time. Wilted greens and grains are also a great option.
This time of year is a time to add in steamed vegetables, root vegetables and heavier grains, like brown rice, barley, and kamut. I tend to cut back on smoothies, which make me cold, and switch to warm whole grain breakfasts or eggs and toast. Eating seasonally will strengthen your immune system and keep you healthy! Soups are a very nourishing and simple way to add nutrients to your diet inexpensively.
So what’s in my soup pot? Soups that take less than a half hour to cook. Here are some of my favorites!
Tip: It’s great to have stock on hand in your pantry, homemade is the best, but please avoid bouillon cubes-they are mostly just MSG and other unidentified food-like objects (as Mark Bittman puts it). Remember you are what you eat so make it organic, you are TOTALLY worth it! To make your own stock you can buy bone-in meat and cut the bones out before you cook to make meat based stocks. Vegetarian stock can easily be made from saving all your trimmings that you’d normally compost and slow cooking them into stock. This is super nice on your wallet and makes your soups nutrient dense. You can find great recipes for stock in my favorite cookbook-Nourishing Traditions.
1. Potato Leek Soup: (from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon)
Ingredients: 2-3 leeks, 3-4 medium potatoes, 2 T butter, 2 T olive oil, 4-6 cups of stock (veg, chicken or beef) several sprigs of thyme, Optional-1 cup yogurt, creme fraiche, or whole milk. sea salt and pepper.
Wash and chop leeks and saute in the butter and olive oil until soft. Add chopped potatoes and stock, bring to a boil and skim. Lower heat, add thyme and simmer until soft. Mash with a masher or let cool and puree with a handheld blender. Add yogurt,creme fraiche etc. Add salt and pepper to taste.
I just read another similar recipe with fennel that sounds really good!
2. Coconut corn soup: (from Eat Fat, Lose Fat by Sally Fallon)
Ingredients: 1 Can whole coconut milk. 4 Cups stock (veg or chicken), 28 ounce, can of crushed tomatoes, 1 cup frozen corn, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme or rosemary, salt and pepper to taste.
Place all ingredients in a large pot over medium heat. bring to a simmer and cook ten minutes. (TOTALLY PANTRY RECIPE! LOVE!)
3. Coconut Chicken Soup: (from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon) Excellent for colds and sore throats!
Ingredients: 1 quart Chicken stock. 1 1/2 whole coconut milk. 1/4 teaspoon of chili flakes, 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger,juice of one lemon, sea salt or fish suace, several scallions chopped, (optional) 1 T chopped cilantro (optional)
Bring stock to a boil and skim. Add coconut milk, lemon juice, chile flakes, and ginger. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt or fish sauce. Garnish with scallions and cilantro.
4. Curried Apple Soup: I just made this one this weekend with all the apples in my yard and it’s REALLY good! Of course it’s from my favorite cookbook-Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.
Ingredients: 1.5 quarts stock, 6 tart apples, 2 medium onions, 4 T butter, 1t ginger, 1 t of each dry mustard, turmeric, ground cumin and ground coriander. 1/4 t each cloves, cinnamon, and cayenne, juice of one lemon, sea salt, creme fraicher or a dollop of plain yogurt.
Saute onions in butter until soft. Stir in spices, add stock, apples, and simmer until apples are soft. Let cool and puree with a handheld blender or mash. Add lemon juice and salt to season.
Happy Fall!