Do your New Year's resolutions include eating healthier? With cooler weather approaching, one of the easiest ways to warm up and incorporate the Power 9® "Plant Slant" into your diet is making healthy soups.
Chef Denise Shavandy from Blue Zones Project Approved™ restaurant Cafe Modern shares her healthy cooking techniques to make these delicious plant-based Blue Zones® inspired soups. Watch the full segment from Good Morning Texas here.
Not only are these soups delicious and perfect for cold weather, but they're easy to make! Try one tonight for dinner or visit Cafe Modern to try more of their Blue Zones inspired items.
Lentil Soup from Café Modern
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 TBSP Garlic, minced
- 1 ea Onion, cleaned & trimmed, small dice
- 2 ea Carrots, peeled, small dice
- 1 TBSP Ginger, minced
- 3 cups Tomato, diced
- 1 cup Lentils, brown or green, picked over and rinsed
- 4 cups Vegetable broth
- 2 cups Water
- 2 tsp Cumin, ground
- 2 tsp Tumeric powder
- 1 tsp Kosher salt, or more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
Garnish:
- Swiss Chard, chiffonade
- Cilantro, fresh chopped
- Goat Milk Yogurt
Directions:
In a medium sized soup pot or dutch oven, saute onions and garlic. Add remaining vegetables and saute 2-3 more minutes. Ad lentils, vegetable broth, water and spices. Bring to a simmer. Continue to cook at a simmer until lentils are tender. Adjust salt to taste.
Serve hot with a chiffonade of Swiss chard or chopped cilantro and a dollop of goat milk yogurt.
West African Peanut Soup from Café Modern
Ingredients:
- 3 LB Sweet Potatoes, peeled, chopped
- ½ LB Carrots, peeled, chopped
- ¾ LB Onions, cleaned & trimmed, chopped
- 10 fl oz Apple Juice
- 16 fl oz V8 Vegetable Juice
- 64 fl oz water
- 10 oz Smooth Peanut Butter
- 3 TBSP Piri Piri Spice Mix (Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container. 1 TBSP Paprika; 2 tsp dry oregano; 2 tsp ground ginger; 2 tsp ground cardamom; 2 tsp granulated garlic; 2 tsp onion powder; 1 tsp kosher salt; ½ tsp ground chile or cayenne)
- Garnish
- Balsamic reduction
- Chopped peanuts
Directions:
In large soup pot, combine sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, apple juice, and vegetable juice. Bring to a simmer adding enough water to keep vegetables well submerged. Continue to cook until vegetables are tender. Add peanut butter and spice mix and simmer another 5 minutes.
Using an immersion blender puree till smooth. Soup can be transferred and blended in a traditional blender but be careful with the hot liquid! Add water till desired consistency.
Serve hot with a garnish of Balsamic reduction and chopped peanuts.
