Whether you like yours lightly spiced, chunky or creamy, bowls or warming soup are a staple lunch option in the winter months.
Aside from the warmth, they come with so many advantages: you can use up those sad looking veggies from the fridge; made correctly they are super nourishing; they are easy to transport and cheap to make.
As a side note, no one has ever complained about a warming bowl of soup, unless of course you are Charlie Bucket and have just been presented with another portion of cabbage soup
but seeing as he is a fictional character, that doesn't really count.
This carrot and sweet potato soup is lightly spiced with ginger, turmeric and cumin to keep those pesky cold and cough causing germs away. Using a good quality bone broth for the base will deliver additional gut healing benefits but if you don't have access to this then some veggie stock will the trick.
Ingredients (Serves 2)
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 small or 1 large sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped
500ml good quality chicken broth or vegetable stock
1 clove of garlic, roughly chopped
1-2cm piece of ginger, peeled and sliced (the ginger adds a spicy note so only use a 1cm piece if you aren't a fan of spice)
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to season
1 teaspoon of coconut oil
Fresh herbs and seeds to garnish (optional)
Method:
Heat a pan on a medium heat, add the cumin seeds and toast for a minute until fragrant. Tip the seeds into a bowl and set aside.
Put the pan back on the heat, add the coconut oil and onions and cook until the onions have softened (5 minutes approximately). Stir in the garlic, ginger, turmeric, salt, toasted cumin seed, season well with black pepper and cook for a further minute.
Throw in the carrots and sweet potato and pour in the stock. Stir well.
Pop a lid on the pan, turn down the heat to low and cook for 20-30 minutes or until the vegetables have softened.
Take the pan off the heat and blend to the desired texture.
To serve, divide the soup between two bowls and top with fresh herbs and seeds.