Sweet Potato & Ginger Soup

Sweet Potato & Ginger Soup

serves 4 cooks in 45 minutes difficulty one

When it comes to soup, for me, it’s a little like marmite I really love it or I really don’t! I’m not a fan of watery soups, that feel more like a cup of herbal tea than a filling meal. The soups I make are really rich and creamy, full if flavour and packed with goodness. Sweet potato or other root vegetables like Butternut Squash make a wonderful base and thickener. They really compliment any other food, however on their own they’re pretty magical too! This Sweet Potato, Coconut & Ginger soup, is one of my favourite easy meals. It’s so easy to prepare and makes the perfect comfort food on a cold evening. It’s also incredibly anti-inflammatory, so I use this recipe as part of my Anti-inflammatory cleanse when I’m injured, or feel a little under the weather.

Sweet potatoes are a great source of slow releasing low GI carbohydrates, they are also full of beta-carotene, which promotes beautiful skin by ridding off free radicals that cause skin ageing. Sweet potatoes are a wonderful source of Vitamin A and Beta-carotene, which means they have incredible anti-inflammatory properties, which can help reduce internal inflammation. This is also very important for athletes and very active people to help muscle recovery.

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Ginger is a powerful anti-inflammatory and can bring great relief to aching muscles and joints. When I’m injured I try and incorporate ginger into all my meals, and always start the day with a pineapple and ginger shot. It also helps to improve the absorption and assimilation of nutrients you take in, which means you’ll be able to harness even more nutrients from what you’re eating. More for your money’s worth!

Coconuts provide one of the highest sources of electrolytes in nature. Electrolytes are ionized salts in our cells that transport energy throughout the body. Coconut is also a great source of fibre. Fibre is essential in maintaining a healthy digestive system. It also helps to regulate bowel movement, stabilise blood sugar levels and keep you fuller for longer. Coconut provides a nutritious source of energy. It is utilized by the body to actually produce more energy, rather than to store as body fat. It supports endurance during athletic performance as well as helping to relieve symptoms of chronic fatigue. In this recipe we use coconut milk, which makes this soup even creamier and adds a wonderful sweetness. In recipes such as soups or gratins, coconut milk makes a great cream replacement.

This soup is the bees knees! I love topping it with a sprig of coriander and some tamari roasted seeds.

The Ingredients

4 sweet potatoes

1/4 cup coconut milk

knob of ginger

1.5 litres vegetable stock

seed garnish:

1/4 cup mixed seeds (sesame, pumpkin & sunflower)

1/2 tbsp tamari

pinch of chilli flakes

Method

Preheat your oven to 190 degrees celcius. Start by peeling the sweet potatoes and cutting them into bite sized cubes. Place on a roasting tray with a drizzle of olive oil and roast for 25 minutes/ until soft. Add to your blender with all the other ingredients and whizz until smooth. Pour into a pan and place over the heat until desired temperature.

To make the garnish, simply mix all ingredients for the seed garnish together, putting on a small roasting tray and roasting for around 3 minutes. Remove from oven and leave to cool.

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