Even though it is summer and the weather is warm, a good green soup can be a great lunch or supper option. Especially when it is chalk full of healthy green ingredients! This soup is a great base to customize depending on your nutritional requirements, hankerings and pantry. We keep it dairy free in our house but you can top with crème fraiche for a creamier soup. We top ours with shredded organic chicken breast and avocado to push this from a simple soup to a belly busting meal. Here is how to make our super green soup…
What You’ll Need:
- 2 tbsp. coconut oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2” piece of ginger (if you use organic, there is no need to peel the ginger just
- wash thoroughly), minced
- 1 medium white onion, chopped fine
- 2 stalks of celery, chopped fine
- 4 cups broccoli (feel free to use the stalk too but make sure you peel it well first)
- 1 medium celeriac root (peeled and diced)
- ½ lb spinach leaves
- 1 large handful parsley (leaves and tender stalks), roughly chopped
- 1 large handful basil (leaves and tender stalks), roughly chopped
- Filtered water
- 1 can coconut milk
- Fresh lemon juice
Optional toppings:
Shredded organic chicken, green onions, avocado, cilantro, steamed rice, and/or crème
fraiche
Tip: For those that have seen me cook, you will know that my food processor is used on a daily basis as a shortcut to create a fine chop. In a recipe such as this where knife skills are not critical to the final dish I go to my food processor to cut food prep times down substantially.
Finely chop garlic, ginger, onion and celery in a food processor (alternately, finely mince with a knife).
In a medium to large sized dutch oven heat the coconut oil over medium heat and cook garlic, ginger, onion and celery mixture for 5 minutes (until onion is softened but not browned). Add broccoli, celeriac root and basil stalks. Add two to three cups of water. Put the cover on the dutch oven to steam the vegetables.
Cook 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are fork tender. Add spinach, parsley and basil leaves and cover. Cook until spinach is wilted (approximately 4-5 minutes). Add coconut milk and more water. (Note: Adding two additional cups of water will create a thick soup;add more water if you like your soup thinner.) Bring to a simmer being careful not to boil hard (this may cause the coconut milk to split). Puree using an immersion blender. Season with salt and pepper, and fresh squeezed lemon juice to taste.
XO Jacqui
