Curried Carrot & Quinoa Soup
It’s the time of year where everyone is looking for a warm comforting bowl of *make my belly happy* soup. It is funny how our body works and craves food; in a few months I will toss nourishing soup aside for the allure of fresh crisp greens…but for right now, I want nothing more than warm, creamy, simple-to-make soups.
In the past, I have made carrot soup with cashews, to give it that added creaminess. However, now that my husband, son and I are unable to eat nuts, I needed to find a different source of protein for this soup. I wanted to make it more of a “One Pot” complete meal.
I chose to use Quinoa. Once cooked, Quinoa will puree nicely, leaving the soup with a nice creamy consistency. I have actually used cooked Quinoa in smoothies many times.
Keep reading for Danielle’s recipe for Curried Carrot and Quinoa Soup
Sweet Pumpkin & Apple Soup
Are you noticing a trend this month? From breakfast, to snacks, to dessert, to dinner even, we’ve been accompanied by a tasty friend. And perhaps that orange friend has made it to your family’s dinner table also (or breakfast, or dessert), and for very good reason. This beautifully colored squash is the highlight of the season.
Pumpkins are fabulous, in every meaning of the word. Not only are they completely delicious and add a rich color to your meals, but they’re super healthy and loaded with good-for you nutrients:
- Pumpkins are high in fiber (with 3 grams in every cup) and low in calories (at around 50 per cup) – helping you stay fuller for longer
- Like it’s orange counterparts, pumpkin is also full of the antioxidant beta-carotene which has been shown to reduce cancer risk
- Full of potassium (1 cup has more than a banana!), pumpkins are great for refueling after a tough workout
- A great source of Vitamin C, pumpkins may help you fight that nasty fall cold by boosting your immune system
Soup’s On
Sometimes it’s a struggle for me to provide a diverse diet to my picky-eater family. It’s easy to fall back on the same old standbys week after week.
Fall reminds me of an obvious trick for serving up a whole range of foods that would otherwise not make it past my little guys’ lips. What’s the secret? Soup!
For us, soup is any combination of vegetables (even ones that my kids would NEVER eat if served on the side of a dinner plate), whole grains and beans. We add in herbs and garlic and sometimes bouillon for flavor and have any variety of truly nourishing meals on the table in under an hour.
Click through to read more about getting soup on the table in minutes!
Roasted Apple and Squash Bisque
There’s just something about autumn and squash. This time of year, the weather becomes cooler, and suddenly I’m craving squashes. Maybe it’s because they’re so abundant at farmers’ markets; maybe it’s because their brilliant hue seems to complement the reds, golds and ochres of the changing leaves; or maybe it’s because they offer a warming, soothing, sweet taste to help ease the transition into winter.
Whatever the reason, I just can’t seem to get enough. With my sweet tooth, Kabocha is my favorite (a close second is Buttercup—though I’ve been chided that Buttercup is nowhere nearly as sweet as Kabocha). Of course, they’re all tasty—some of my favorite recipes involve butternut squash, acorn squash or pumpkin. The only winter squash I haven’t quite learned to love is spaghetti, but I’m still trying.
And while squashes are great mashed with a little coconut butter and salt, another favorite way to enjoy them is in soup. Who doesn’t love a warming soup this time of year? And since the vegetables are all simmered in the soup, all of which is then consumed, soups are a great way to ensure that you’re receiving the full benefit of the super nutrients in these vegetables, such as carotenoids (including beta-carotene, so important for eye health and helpful to regulate blood sugar), antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds (both crucial to help prevent heart disease), plus a good amount of fiber.
Get the recipe!
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