Winging it Soup Style

Well, it is Thursday afternoon and let me tell ya, I have been cooking up a storm today. I have many recipes to come, so stay tuned :O) Since the weather is pretty chilly out there I will share my warming soup today.

First I have to fill you in on what inspired this lovely soup. Last week I headed off to St Lucia on a yoga/wellness retreat hosted by the lovely Meghan Telpner. It was a trip I will never forget. I went by myself knowing that there would be 10 other like minded people there to meet. It was wonderful. The host Meghan, is a delightful and passionate colleague of mine, the guests were a bunch of strong dynamic women, the place was beautiful, the weather was hot and the food was amazing......and healthy too. Having food allergies it can make eating a bit of a challenge on vacation. This was the first vacation that I have been on where food was a non-issue and I enjoyed every bite of everything that past my lips. For more information on the retreat go to www.meghantelpner.com. If you are looking to nourish yourself in every way, you might was to consider this for next year.

Beautful picture of one of the many beaches we went to.
Now back to the soup.....

Here is what I started out with. I didn't end up putting the shittake mushrooms in the soup.

There are really only 2 vegetables that I can say I don’t enjoy that much. I will still eat them but they are just not my favourite. They are mustard greens and okra. While enjoying a beautiful dinner with the amazing ladies in St Lucia, we were served a soup with the main star being okra and guess what....It was delicious. I loved it. And I was not the only lady around the table who was not in love with this nourishing vegetable to begin with but loved the soup.

So now I have been back in town for a few days now and I decided I had to take a stab at making a soup with okra. Not having a recipe, I was winging it soup style this morning. So here is what I came up with;


1 onion
2 tbsp olive oil
2 carrots
3 celery stalks
1 cup of chopped okra
½ large or 1 small sweet potato, peeled and chopped
6 garlic cloves
1-2 tbsp of tamari
1 tsp sage
1 cup of green lentils
8 cups of H2O
3-4 handfuls of spinach
½ cup coconut milk (optional)
1 tsp fish sauce (optional)
1-2 tbsp of fresh lemon juice (optional)


Sauté onion in olive oil over medium heat for 5 minutes until softened. Add in carrots, celery, okra, sweet potato, garlic, tamari green lentils and sage. Sauté for another 5 minutes. Then add H2O.
Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 40 minutes or so. Until lentils and vegetables are softened.
Before serving add spinach, coconut milk, fish sauce and lemon juice. Turn heat off and cover for about 5 minutes. Enjoy!

NOTE: the coconut milk, fish sauce and lemon juice are 100% optional. The soup tasted great before the additions. These ingredients just add a bit more depth to the broth.


Here are a few of the amazing health benefits of okra:


• Great source of vitamin C, a well known antioxidant. Critical for a healthy immune system.


• The fiber in okra aids in blood sugar regulation by slowing down sugar absorption. Keeping your energy levels high and consistent.


• If you have ever cooked with okra you see how slimy it is. Well guess what?? That slimy part is great for the digestive system. It promotes healthy bowel movements.


• Okra is a superstar vegetable for those who need to reduce cholesterol levels. The fiber in okra binds to cholesterol and pulls it out your body via your stools.

• The unique fiber in okra promotes healthy bacteria in your gut. The healthy bacteria in your gut is important for a healthy immune system, is responsible for the production of important vitamins and keeps our digestive system happy.
 

P.S. Still working on the mustard greens. Any ideas??

Share with me....

What are your least favourite veggies?? And have you found ways to prepare them that makes you like them??

The coconut milk gives the broth a slightly odd color but it sure does make it taste great.