Cleansing Winter Vegetable Soup (dairy-free, gluten-free, plant-based)

Since healthy eating has been part of our lifestyle for a long time, the holiday season doesn’t throw me off too much. There are occasions where I indulge when I typically would not, but I embrace those moments. In between holiday parties, cocktails and dinners out, I make an extra effort to eat as clean and healthy as possible. A huge pot of vegetable soup is what I normally crave to keep me on track. I made this huge pot of Cleansing Winter Soup to keep up our veggie intake high so we’ll feel energized and healthy throughout the holiday season. There's no shortage of veggies here-I selected EIGHT different plants.

You'll reap the benefits from a wide variety of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals to promote health from head to toe.

I decided to break down the cost of this recipe to show how cheap healthy eating can really be! I shopped for 90% of these ingredients at ALDI. Prices can vary by store so keep in mind these are the prices I found the day I shopped! The recipe really does make a big ole pot of soup, so feel free to freeze half to eat another time.

Break it down:

½ head cauliflower $1.34

2 sweet potatoes $1.18

1 ½ cup onions $.28

box organic both $1.69

organic canned diced tomatoes $1.49

½ cup brown lentils $1.00 (estimated)

5 cloves garlic $.50 (estimated)

1 large parsnip $1.09

6 stalks celery $.89

1 cup carrot $.65

Total: $10.11

6 servings: $1.69

The above doesn’t included items I had on hand and are hopefully pantry staples. Plus they are used in small amounts.

Thyme

Turmeric

Salt + pepper

Parsley

Drizzle olive oil

Cleansing Winter Vegetable Soup

Time: 40 minutes

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup onion, diced

1 cup carrots, sliced

6 celery stalks, diced

1 large parsnip, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

5 sprigs thyme

2 small sweet potatoes, peeled & diced

2 cups water

1 box vegetable or free-range organic chicken broth

1 tsp turmeric powder

2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp pepper

½ cup brown lentils

½ head cauliflower, cut into florets

1 small zucchini, sliced

Canned diced tomatoes

Optional: fresh chopped flat leaf parsley & a drizzle of olive oil

Instructions:

Start by prepping all of your veggies. It’ll be much easier to assemble the soup once everything is cleaned and chopped.
Heat a large pot to medium high heat. Once the pot is heated (test with a small splash of water), then begin to add your veggies. I cooked the veggies in a dry pot (no oil), because you really don’t need it. The vegetables will release plenty of liquid. If they stick, add a few tablespoons of water and continue stirring.
Add the onion, celery and carrot. Cook these veggies until they begin to sweat, about 5-6 minutes.
Add the parsnip, garlic, and thyme. Stir for another 3-4 minutes.
Season with salt, pepper and turmeric powder.
Add sweet potato, cauliflower, canned diced tomatoes, broth, water and lentils.
Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat so the soup will gently simmer.
Simmer soup for 15 minutes. Add sliced zucchini. Simmer for 5 more minutes.
Turn off heat, let cool. Remove thyme sprigs.
I like to get out my small storage containers and immediately divide the soup into portions that can be eaten for lunch throughout the week. Store the remaining in the refrigerator or freezer (so you can have leftover another time!