Yin/Yang Vegetable Soup
GLUTEN FREE · VEGETARIAN · NUT FREE · VEGAN OPTION · PALEO
Soup season may be ages away, but sometimes it's just what a troubled tummy needs. This is a pretty basic recipe, but yields a really yummy and satisfying soup, with a couple of immune-boosting and anti-inflammatory extras as a bonus. It also gives the digestive system a nice break from all the cold food and drinks typically consumed during the summer months.
I've called this Yin/Yang soup based on the macrobiotic principle, which tells us that that everything we eat is somewhere on the yin/yang scale. Generally speaking, vegetables are predominantly yin (compared to meat, for example) but just how yin or yang is also determined by whether something grows above (yin) or below ground (yang), and whether it grows upwards (yin) or downwards (yang). For instance, spinach is slightly more yin than carrots, and fruit is more yin than vegetables as it grows above the ground. Furthermore, the cooking process increases yang. So, as this recipe feels like a good balance of these elements, I decided to call it Yin/Yang soup!
The Ingredients
Ghee
Possibly one of my favourite ingredients ever! Ghee has a lovely nutty taste and is an excellent alternative to butter, particularly in savoury cooking. Due to the removal of the milk solids, it is both lactose-free and casein-free and so is very well-tolerated, although may still need to be avoided by those with severe dairy allergies (in which case, olive oil would be a suitable alternative, making the soup vegan).
Ghee is also a key ingredient in a gut-healing diet as it contains butyrate: a source of energy for the cells lining the colon, anti-inflammatory and can improve intestinal permeability.
Red onion
You can use white/yellow onion if you like. I just always have a preference for red onions.
Garlic
Carrots, Celery, Potatoes
A classic soup-base triad!
Spinach
This is added near the end of the cooking process so that the spinach is blanched, rather than boiled, so as to retain as many of its nutrients as possible. It obviously doesn’t require as much time to soften and cook as the other vegetables and so there is no need to include it at the beginning.
Vegetable stock (cube or home-made)
If using a stock cube, always look for a yeast-free (and gluten-free) version as yeast can be a sneaky cause of reactivity in people. Some people are of course outright allergic to yeast, and as this is quite an easy thing to overlook in cooking, it’s good to have in mind.
If you have homemade vegetable stock/broth, then by all means use this, and replace the plain water with it.
Turmeric
A key anti-inflammatory player in this soup. For a full rundown on turmeric’s hero spice status, click here.
Salt & pepper
Water
Lemon juice
Fresh lemon juice please - as in from an actual lemon, not a bottle!
YIN/YANG VEGETABLE SOUP
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp ghee (olive oil for vegan option)
- 1/2 red onion
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed or grated
- 2 large carrots
- 2 celery stalks (with leaves, if organic)
- 2 large potatoes
- handful of spinach
- 1 yeast-free organic vegetable stock cube (or 1 cup of your own home-made vegetable stock if you have it)
- 1 generous tsp turmeric
- salt and pepper
- water
- juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Prepare the veggies: peel and dice the potatoes and carrots, roughly chop the celery and onion. Try to aim for roughly the same size pieces of veg so that they cook at about the same speed.
- Add the ghee (or olive oil) and chopped onion to a saucepan on medium heat. Sauté the onions for a few minutes until they just begin to brown.
- Add the carrots, celery, potatoes and garlic and mix for a minute or so, to allow the melted ghee to get everywhere!
- Add enough water to cover the vegetables - this will give you a medium consistency, but you can adjust the amount of water according to how thick you want your soup.
- Add the stock cube, turmeric, salt and pepper to taste. If adding liquid vegetable stock, remember to adjust the amount of water previously added so that the soup doesn't get too watery. (Remember, you must add some black pepper to enhance turmeric's anti-inflammatory properties. For more information, click here).
- Once the water reaches the boil, reduce heat to a light simmer, cover the saucepan, and allow to cook for about 15-20 minutes.
- Test if the vegetables have cooked through by piercing them with a knife or skewer. Once they are soft (but not falling apart!), remove from the heat.
- Add the spinach, and leave to blanch for a couple of minutes.
- Blend until smooth.
- Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice.
Notes:
· You can swap the vegetable stock with homemade bone broth, but this will naturally make the flavour a bit more 'meaty', and will of course no longer be vegetarian.