*vegan friendly *gluten free *dairy free *contains sesame seeds – avoid if
allergic!
Why Naturopath Bingo?
Us naturopaths give great advice to patients on superfoods which are
fantastic for health. And we all know the best foods so give prescriptions for
the same foods. Thats why you could play naturopathic bingo with this soup. Its
full of the amazing superfoods that naturopaths rave about which are full of
nutrients and are so good for your health!
Superfood stars of this soup...
- Kale – Kale is the number one choice for naturopaths when eating dark
leafy greens. Dark leafys are one of the most concentrated sources of nutrients
in foods, with them being rich in minerals (including calcium, iron, magnesium
and potassium) and vitamins (C, E, K and Bs). They also contain phytonutrients
which provide antioxidant properties and are excellent for protecting cells
against eye damage and age-related problems. The darker the green, the more
nutrients and kale is the darkest green of them all! I had a huge amount of
kale delivered to me this week and so I found this soup online so I could
utilise it before it went off.
 |
| Kale explosion!! |
- Quinoa – Known as the mothergrain, quinoa is a complete protein, contains
many nutrients and is also high in fibre. I’ve talked about why you should jump
on the quinoa bandwagon in another blog, which you can find by clicking here!
- Tahini – Tahini is sesame seed paste and is a fantastic vegan
alternative to butter. It is also a great source of protein, as well as omega-3
and 6 fats, calcium, fibre, iron, magnesium, B vitamins and vitamin A. Tahini
tastes similar to peanut butter, but is less likely to be oxidised – sesame seed
oil is very stable in room temperature.
- Garlic – Garlic is an pungent food which contains many medicinal
properties. Raw garlic contains a constituent known as allicin, which is
antimicrobial and fantastic to eat when you have a cold. This constituent is
not heat stable and will lose its antimicrobial properties when cooked. Add it
to the end of your cooking process to receive its full antimicrobial benefits. Garlic
is also fantastic for cardiovascular health, lowers cholesterol and blood
pressure, helps with liver detoxification and is anti-inflammatory.
I improvised a little as I had a bit more kale and wanted to add a bit
more superfood love. Below is the original recipe and the parts in red are the
parts I added.
Ingredients:
- 1 small bunch kale *I used a BIG bunch of kale!
- 4 tablespoons olive oil * I used coconut oil instead, as it was for heating.
- 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped *2 brown onions
- 1/2 cup quinoa *1 cup of quinoa, washed thoroughly first
- 1/2 cup green lentils * 400g lentils, washed
- 1 heaping teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 5 cups water *2 litres of vegetable stock
- 1 vegetable bouillon cube * didn’t use this, as I used liquid stock
- 3 tablespoons tahini, plus more for garnish *4 tablespoons tahini
- 2-3 tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce) *4 tablespoons tamari (wheat-free soy sauce)
- * 4 cloves of smashed garlic
Method:
- Wash and de-stem kale (use kitchen shears to cut along the sides of
the stems.) Tear the leaves into smallish pieces.
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat, add onion and sauté for 3-4
minutes.
- Add quinoa and lentils with 2 cups of stock and cook for 2-3 minutes;
add cumin, curry powder, tahini, garlic, tamari and kale. Mix well. Add rest of
the stock and bring to a boil. Cover and turn down heat to low. Simmer for
35-40 minutes.
 |
| Simmer simmer! |
- Carefully blend the hot soup in a food processor or blender and
return to pot. You can skip this step or blend only half of the soup if you
want some texture, but I think it’s nicest smooth. Add more tahini and tamari
to taste.
- To garnish, mix 1-2 tablespoons of tahini with a small amount of
water until it becomes smooth and bright. Drizzle on top of the soup and serve.
 |
| Soup is served! |
The verdict...
This soup is
delicious and gets better when left for a while. It tastes a little bit salty
and I didn’t add any extra tamari at the end, but the aftertaste is amazing and
it leaves you feeling satisfied, not full and very healthy!
Original recipe from:
http://www.cookthink.com/recipe/11548/Kale_Soup
