Truthfully, in the past I’d never tried leeks–even in something as yummy as this Roasted Leek and Cauliflower Soup.
I’m embarrassed to admit that every time I thought of leeks, I remembered the scene in Bridget Jones’ Diary where she tried to make leek soup and left the blue rubber band in it and the entire soup was blue. 😝 😹
But thankfully I got over it and now absolutely love the taste of leeks! Which is why this soup is so great. It truly embodies the anti-inflammatory winter produce with a warm, creamy, and filling soup.
Try it out, and don’t forget to top it with organic crumbled bacon or even some sharp cheddar and chives!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the cauliflower florets and leeks on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 TBSP avocado oil and lightly season with salt and pepper.
Roast for 25 minutes, turning pan halfway through. Let it get lightly browned but not burned.
Let cool about 5-10 minutes, then, into a high-powered blender add all the roasted vegetables, almond butter, thyme leaves, lemon juice and half the water (1 1/2 cups).
Blend until pureed, then add the remaining ingredients and pulse a few more times.
Pour into a saucepan and let the soup heat until warmed up completely. Adjust seasonings to taste.
You may add more water or even broth if the soup is too thick.
Top with a dollop of sour cream or organic bacon crumbles. Enjoy
Like this recipe? Prep it and 5 others with the Anti-Inflammatory Winter Freestyle Meal Prep Guide! {Click the image to grab it!}👇
When it comes to Anti-Inflammatory soups, this Turmeric Ginger Butternut Squash one is 💯! Packed with anti-inflammatory ingredients and vegan (unless you want to add some shredded chicken!), this will warm you right up in those cold fall and winter months and keep you cozy!
Ingredients
Butternut squash
This fall and winter squash has a creamy texture when pureed, and is packed full of phytochemicals. They can be a little intimidating to cook the first time, but once you’ve done it, you’ll see it’s no problem.
Baby Spinach
Baby greens like this are amazing ways to get in your calcium, folate, iron, and other minerals and vitamins. Also, since it’s cooked in this butternut squash soup, you’ll absorb more calcium and iron.
Turmeric and Ginger
Both of these ingredients are well known for their anti-inflammatory properties.
Lentils
Lentils are a staple of the Mediterranean diet, and I love the use of them in this recipe because they add some plant-based protein and fiber. This helps prevent blood sugar spikes, which also helps stave off chronic inflammation.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 F, cut butternut squash in half and lay it facing downward on a pan covered in foil. Cook for 40 minutes.
In a large pot, drizzle oil and add onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook until the onions are clear, stirring often.
Pour in the milk, broth, and lentils, and stir. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until lentils are cooked through.
When the squash is finished cooking, remove from oven, spoon out and discard seeds. Then scoop out the flesh and place in a high-powered blender.
Add half of the soup mixture into blender and puree until smooth. Pour back into the soup pot.
Stir in the baby spinach and simmer until the spinach is wilted.
Divide into bowls, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
*Save some time by buying butternut squash already cubed and steaming it to get it soft enough to puree.
*Kale can be subbed in for the baby spinach.
*If you like your soup to feel ‘chunkier’, cook the lentils and add them AFTER you puree the other ingredients. This may also help to have an even lower blood sugar response.
Click the image to grab the free Fall Anti-Inflammatory Meal Prep Guide ! 👆
This delicious and cozy anti-inflammatory soup really should be a staple in your household in the fall and winter months. Chock full of anti-inflammatory ingredients, this butternut squash soup will also give you an injection of vitamins and minerals.
Preheat oven to 400 F, cut butternut squash in half and lay it facing downward on a pan covered in foil. Cook for 40 minutes.
In a large pot, drizzle oil and add onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook until the onions are clear, stirring often.
Pour in the milk, broth, and lentils, and stir. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until lentils are cooked through.
When the squash is finished cooking, remove from oven, spoon out and discard seeds. Then scoop out the flesh and place in a high-powered blender.
Add half of the soup mixture into blender and puree until smooth. Pour back into the soup pot.
Stir in the baby spinach and simmer until the spinach is wilted.
Divide into bowls, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
*Save some time by buying butternut squash already cubed and steaming it to get it soft enough to puree.
*Kale can be subbed in for the baby spinach.
*If you like your soup to feel ‘chunkier’, cook the lentils and add them AFTER you puree the other ingredients. This may also help to have an even lower blood sugar response.
Being from the South, I’ve had my fair share of collard greens as a kid–but never collard greens soup. Well, I’ve had my fair share of adults trying to get me to eat my collard greens as a kid. I was never a huge fan (being more of the ‘addicted to sugar‘ type).
But as an adult? Not only do I know the superpower of greens, I’ve experimented through the years to see what works, what doesn’t, and what I can tolerate in the name of getting needed nutrients and fiber into my body. (Cause my body does so much better when I’m taking care of it this way!)
This Creamy Collard Greens Soup recipe is not only right up there with ‘what works’, but my kids didn’t even know the difference between this and the broccoli-potato soup they regularly order at the steakhouse down the road. (Win for Mama!!)
So technically potatoes aren’t necessarily ‘frowned upon’ in an anti-inflammatory diet (unless you have to avoid nightshades). But what does happen is that they’re such a high-glycemic vegetable that it can raise blood sugar levels. High blood sugar is inflammatory.
That being said, I’ve been able to sub in butternut squash repeatedly on recipes (like this one) and my kids didn’t even know! They thought they were orange-y potatoes!
So without further ado, the collard green soup that my kids think is full of potatoes… (and other greens they think are NOT collards)… 😁
8 oz collard greens (1 bunch, stemmed and chopped)
2 tsp salt (to taste)
1/2 tsp pepper (to taste)
2 TBSP avocado oil
1 TBSP hot sauce (optional, to taste)
1/2 cup dairy-free sour cream (optional)
5 slices bacon (organic, uncured, (optional!))
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut butternut squash in half lengthwise and place face down on rimmed baking pan lined with foil. Once oven is preheated, place in oven for 30-40 mimutes, until squash is cooked through.
Stem and chop onions and collard greens.
Heat a large pot on medium high and place avocado oil and onions in the pot. Saute until clear.
Add the collard greens and cook down until tender. Add the garlic and stir often.
When squash is cooked, remove from oven and flip the pieces over. Spoon out seeds and discard.
Spoon out chunks of squash into a high-powered blender. Add the collard mixture and 1 cup of broth.
Blend until super creamy. Pour back into pot.
Add the remaining 3 cups of broth.
Simmer on cooktop until time to eat.
Top with dairy-free sour cream. {And if using bacon bits, cook bacon, chop, and sprinkle on top.}
Enjoy!
Like this recipe? Prep it and 5 others with the Winter Anti-Inflammatory Meal Prep Guide! 👇{Click the image to grab it!}
When it comes to easy and nutritious, nothing comes closer than this simple roasted tomato soup. Not only is it full of phytonutrients from tomatoes, onion, and bell peppers, it’s also a great warm weather soup or cold-weather comfort food.
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook onion until clear, then add the garlic and cook about 2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, lentils, rice, tomato paste, paprika, red pepper flakes, and mint. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the lentils and rice are cooked through (this will take approximately 30 minutes).
Pour entire pot into a high-powered blender and pulse into a puree.
Pour soup back into pot and simmer, adding salt and pepper to taste, until time to serve.
