I know everyone is thinking about salads, green juices and other “health foods” to kick-start their healthy eating into action after two weeks of holidays eats. Well, I am really excited, because today is the start of Healthy January 2017! I have so many recipes to share this January that are anything but plain or boring. This soup is only the start, but I knew when I made it that I had to share this recipe as the first recipe of the year. It’s literally one of the cleanest recipes I’ve ever made, but also warming, cozy and delicious. This Mean Green Detox Vegetable Soup is packed with all kinds of winter vegetable, green lentils for protein, and spices like garlic, ginger, and cayenne that will help fight off winter colds plus rev your metabolism. So you see…the perfect soup for the first Monday of the year!
Ingredients
Extra Virgin Olive oil kosher salt and black pepper Leek Carrots Garlic Kosher salt and pepper Cayenne pepper Low sodium vegetable broth Low sodium soy sauce Apple cider vinegar Green lentils Roughly torn kale Broccoli florets Purple cabbage Juice of one lemon Fresh parsley plus cilantro (or dried herbs of your choosing – thyme, basil, or oregano) Parmesan side of crusty bread
Step by Step Stovetop Instructions (Also possible to whip this recipe up in an Instant Pot or slow cooker) Step One Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil simmers, add the leeks and the carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally for five minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook another 30 seconds to one minute. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Step Two Add the cayenne, plenty of vegetable broth, soy sauce, and vinegar. Add two cups water and bring the soup to a boil over high heat. Stir in the lentils, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the kale, broccoli, and cabbage and continue cooking until the lentils and broccoli are tender, about 10-15 minutes longer. Step Three Just before serving, stir in the lemon juice, parsley, and cilantro. Taste and season with more salt if needed. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with vegan parmesan or parmesan cheese of your choosing, as well as avocado slices. If you’re trying to make the slow cooker or instant pot version, simply add the ingredients to the bowl of your slow cooker. The cook time will have to be adjusted, though.
Speaking of the New Year, how was everyone’s holiday season. As you know, my Christmas was great and was spent with my family doing lots of cooking. New Year’s Eve was pretty laid back, we had all kinds of food including, Mexican tamales, poke, pasta and cookies! Nothing crazy, but after a busy two weeks, a laid back New Years was perfect. The last of our guests will be leaving tomorrow and Wednesday, so life should be getting back to normal here by the end of the week. I’m sad to see the holidays go, but excited for January and to get started, and to move on to new adventures! Do you guys have any New Year’s resolutions/goals? I still have not made a list, but I plan to make one up this week of some of the work goals I have floating around in my head. What kind of goals are you guys making this year?
Obviously my first task of the year is to share all of these healthy January recipes! Ok, AND to finally finish up the cookbook…getting so close! So, let’s talk soup! Last year, I did a mean green salad, the year before I did a mean green smoothie, and this year, it’s soup! Lately I am really loving broth based recipes. This soup has got to be my new secret weapon for revving up my metabolism. I plan to make it anytime I feel the slightest bit of sickness coming on. I swear, it heals all. This soup is filled with all the things that make me feel good. For my veggies, I went with carrots, broccoli, kale, and purple cabbage. Then I seasoned it up with loads of fresh ginger, garlic, cayenne, soy sauce and a splash of apple cider vinegar. Next I added lentils for heartiness and then finished the soup off with some fresh parsley, lemon juice and vegan parmesan (you can use regular parmesan too…that’s obviously just as amazing). It’s basically perfection in a bowl and so super healthy. If you want to add protein to this recipe, shredded roasted chicken or italian sausage would be a great addition. YES. And it’s also easy to throw together, just one pot and ready in just around and hour. See, January is already looking pretty good right? Question: I already have a lot of this month’s recipes planned, but is there anything that you guys would really like to see this month? Or even better, is there anything on the blog that you would like to see happen over the next year? I’d love to hear any feedback you guys have on what you are lovin’ or what you’d like to see more of. Please let me know so we can make this the best year of HBH yet!! Hope you all have a great first Monday of the year!! Be sure to share photos of your version of this recipe on Instagram and Facebook. I love looking through your photos of recipes! Enjoy this Mean Green Detox Vegetable Soup!
Now, let’s all make soup and eat leftovers all week! 🙂
