Vegan Vegetable and Turmeric Soup

I planned a healthy Thanksgiving free of the usual suspects gluten, dairy and sugar and I still felt like a detox was in order. I suppose it is because of the quantity of food I consumed. Really, it was so delicious but it came with a price. I felt stuffed. I was over served and the discomfort was looming. When you know what it feels like to live clean and feel clean you can’t stand to feel any other way.

Monday, I threw in the towel. Thanksgiving was behind me and the detoxing began. What a better way to detox than to jump on the vegetable super highway? The dilemma is I know that by committing to a day or more of a vegan diet I’d have to consume a lot of food to sustain my active lifestyle. Those days, it feels like I am eating all day which seems counterproductive to detoxing. However, it not. Feeling hungry is the worst and I don’t just get hungry. I get “hangry.”

Baked sweet potatoes and roasted vegetables galore. In addition, I made a Vegan Detox Vegetable and Turmeric Soup. I was thrilled with the outcome and I am happy to share it with you here.

Vegan Detox Vegetable and Turmeric Soup

1 sweet onion finely chopped

1 red bell pepper finely chopped

6 stalks of celery (3 finely chopped and 3 coarsely chopped)

4 garlic cloves finely chopped

4 cups of Vegetable Broth

2 tbs of avocado oil

8 cups of water

1 tsp of salt

¼ tsp of white pepper

1 tsp of turmeric

½ tsp of cardamom

1 chopped yellow squash

1 chopped zucchini

1 small bunch of carrots chopped in bite size pieces

1 bunch of kale washed and leaves cut into 1” squares (I did not use the stems)

1 small bunch of broccoli crown in bite size pieces

1. In a large soup pot on medium heat, add onion, bell pepper, finely chopped celery, garlic, salt, pepper and avocado oil. Sauté for 15 minutes.

2. Add water, vegetable broth, turmeric and cardamom and bring to a boil.

3. Add squash, zucchini and carrots and boil for 25 minutes.

4. Turn the heat off.

5. With a hand blender, puree the soup until there is a medium consistency and the broth begins to thicken. This soup is not meant to be creamy so don’t puree all of the vegetables by leaving some of the vegetables intact.

6. Add broccoli and kale.

7. When the broccoli and kale softens to your desired texture, the soup is done. I prefer a bit of crunch left to my broccoli so I soften till fork tender.

This soup is one I could eat over and over again. It’s packed with nutritious vegetables and it’s filling. Happy detoxing anytime your body craves a clean out.