When it’s cold in the winter, heat your soup. When it’s warmer in the spring and summer, have it cool and uncooked. Raw foodies definitely appreciate a good blended and uncooked soup.
Think of raw soups as smoothies with mostly vegetables that you eat with a spoon rather than drink from a cup. It is a good idea to use ingredients that are high in water because you don’t want your soup to be too thick. Four ingredients I like to use include carrots, ginger, apples, and avocado.
This creates a cream of carrot soup with carrots being the main ingredient. Avocado pieces help give the soup its creaminess. Overall, this cream of carrot soup is great for the digestive system with ginger being well known to soothe the stomach.
Gingerol and shogaol within ginger help to stimulate the digestive juices such as saliva and bile. Avocado and apples also contain the digestion-benefiting dietary fiber.
Ginger and carrots also are great for your overall immunity. Carrots are an excellent source of vitamin A and carotenoids that not only help to improve your eyesight, but also can help keep your immune system strong. Carrots are also a very good source of vitamin C, which is also an important nutrient for the immune system.
Even though the cream of carrot soup is an uncooked soup, it will still help you sweat. Ginger can also help your immune system by enhancing circulation and warmth in the body. The gingerols and shogaols are also known to help stimulate blood circulation and open sinuses.
All of the tasty whole foods in this healthy recipe make it perfect for springtime. It’s not too hot, and it’s not too cold, which means it’s just right. Enjoy it as a quick lunch or mid-afternoon snack.
Cream of Carrot Soup
Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 3 medium carrots
- 1-2 teaspoon chopped ginger
- 1 medium apple
- 1 large avocado
- 1-2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin seed
- 1/2-1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon whole coriander seed
- 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt or Himalayan rock salt
- 2 pinches cayenne powder
Optional
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
Directions
In a blender, pour the water. Add coarsely chopped ginger and carrots. Core and chop the apple, and put that in there too. Also, spoon out avocado chunks and put it into the blender as well. | |
Squeeze the lemon juice into the blender. | |
Add the spices, salt, and raw honey. | |
Blend everything together until smooth. | |
It’s ready to serve. Feel free to top with fresh herbs and edible flowers. |
Sources:
Cabaca, E., Earthly & Divine: Whole Recipes for a Healthy World (Richmond Hill: Pronto Reproductions Ltd., 2010), 103.
Mateljan, G., The World’s Healthiest Foods: Essential Guide for the Healthiest Way of Eating (Seattle: George Mateljan Foundation, 2007), 230, 298, 434, 708-709.
“Raw Soups,” Raw-Foods-Diet-Center.com web site; http://www.raw-foods-diet-center.com/raw-soups.html, last accessed March 7, 2014.