With only 10 days until it’s officially winter, I’m all about soups. They’re relatively simple to make, are hot, filling, and — as long as you don’t add cream, oil, or a ridiculous amount of salt — great for your waistline.
I came up with this recipe yesterday because I wanted a dinner that comes together quickly, is packed with flavor and nutrients, and is anti-inflammatory.
Well I’d like to humbly declare that my red curry coconut soup is incredible, and you simply must try it!
This recipe contains sweet potatoes, light coconut milk, shiitake mushrooms, spinach, fresh ginger, turmeric, and my current obsession . . .
. . . curry!
If you don’t know who this is, GET OUT.
Not only is this soup delicious, but it’s also anti-inflammatory. Ginger and the curcumin in turmeric and curry are powerful at reducing inflammation in the body, which exacerbates conditions such as arthritis, autoimmune diseases, and heart disease, among many others. If you’re not aboard the turmeric train, get there!
Bonus: This is also an anti-cancer soup! Sweet potatoes contain a unique protein, which acts as a kind of protease inhibitor with potential anticancer properties. Mushrooms are also cancer fighters, and should be eaten every day (cooked, not raw).
If you follow Dr. Fuhrman, you’re familiar with his “G-BOMBS” acronym for the foods he suggests we eat every day for optimum nutrition. G-BOMBS stands for greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries, and seeds/nuts. Congratulations, this soup contains all of them except berries, which you can have for dessert.
See, eating well is easy!
- 1 t. fresh ginger, pureed (from a jar is fine)
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 heaping T. red curry paste
- ½ inch turmeric root, grated (or ¼ t. ground turmeric)
- ½ yellow onion, chopped
- 2½ cups vegetable broth
- 1 large sweet potato (~ 1 lb), peeled and diced
- 2 T. pure maple syrup
- 1 cup light coconut milk (canned)
- ¾ t. sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2-3 oz. sliced shiitake mushrooms
- 1 can garbanzo beans, drained (or 8 oz. cubed extra firm tofu)
- ~4 oz. fresh baby spinach
- Juice of ½ lime
- Garnish: fresh cilantro, raw cashews, sriracha (if you like it hot)
- Add a splash of water to a large soup pot over medium heat. Cook the ginger, garlic, curry paste, and turmeric, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Add the onion and stir to coat with the seasonings, then allow to cook until softened, another 5 minutes or so. If the pot starts to get dry, add more water to prevent burning.
- When the onion is cooked, pour the vegetable broth into the pot and add the sweet potatoes. Cover pot and cook until the potatoes are tender, 10-15 minutes.
- While the potatoes cook, put a splash of water in a medium pot and cook the mushrooms over medium heat about 3 minutes, then add the garbanzos or tofu. After a couple of minutes, place the spinach in the pot and cover to wilt, about 3 more minutes. Stir, remove from heat, and set aside.
- Reduce the heat on your soup pot and stir in the maple syrup, coconut milk, salt, and pepper. Using an immersion blender (or standing blender), blend about half of the sweet potatoes and onions to slightly thicken the soup.
- Transfer the mushrooms, beans, and spinach to the soup pot. Squeeze the lime juice into the pot and stir. Taste for seasoning.
- Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro, cashews, and sriracha if desired.
After he removed the mushrooms from his bowl, my picky husband gave this recipe two thumbs up! I’ll be adding it to my regular dinner rotation, and may even start doubling the recipe so I have plenty of leftovers!
♥ ♥ ♥
On a more personal note, if you’re a regular reader of my blog, you may have noticed a a lack of posting the past few weeks. Things have been awfully busy at my house, and I’m blaming the holidays (and having a toddler)! Just know that I do intend to keep blogging, and definitely more frequently than once a month.
So far I’m loving the holiday season! In my opinion, the three weeks leading up to Christmas are more enjoyable than the actual day. I love seeing all of the Christmas lights, smelling a fresh Frasier fir and hot apple cider in our house, and trying to convince Abby that Santa isn’t actually scary (although, let’s be frank, he’s a little creepy).
Picking out our tree
Contemplating the most effective way to destroy this tree.
Waiting patiently for Santa
I hope you’re all enjoying December and staying healthy!
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