Cleansing Soups

The history of "detoxification," the act of ridding the body of unhealthy toxins, dates back hundreds of years to Ancient Greece. I, on the other hand, with my finger on the pulse of popular culture (ha!), associate the "cleansing" tradition with the ever-so-on-trend, Gwyneth Paltrow. It seems every December, a resurgence of of the rather "alternative" diet, ascends from the uber healthy peeps at her lifestyle empire, goop. (Can you read my jealousy through the sarcasm?) This year is no exception -- please read further if you are interested.

Cleanses come in varied forms. Juices. Vegetable smoothies. Peppery-lemony water. A diet that most can not sustain for more than a day. Paltrow's current Warming Winter Detox, however, has looser guidelines than in the past -- a cleanse I can support (and perhaps, succeed at). What grabbed my interest most were the soups included.

While I may not be mentally prepared for a complete food overhaul, I am more than ready to put the holidays behind me and start fresh. Soups are a great way to support that. Filling. Full of vegetables. A one-pot meal that can be refrigerated for a few days.

Pick your favorite. Tomato. Potato. Squash. Zucchini. Broccoli. You can pretty much put any vegetable into a pot with water or stock and have a meal. Here are a few of my current favorites:

Cauliflower Soup with Truffle Oil and Parmesan

Roasted Carrot and Ginger Soup

Artichoke Soup with Crispy Salami and Lemony Quinoa

Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

WHITE BEAN AND ROSEMARY CHOWDER (adapted from Barefoot Contessa)

2 cans of cannellini beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stocks, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 long rosemary branch
2 bay leaves
4 cups of chicken/vegetable stock (or water, if you choose)
salt/pepper to taste

ONE: Drain beans and rinse in a collender.
TWO: In a large pot over medium heat, saute onions, carrots and celery until translucent and soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook over low heat for 3 additional minutes.
THREE: Add the drained beans, rosemary, bay leaves and stock to the pot. Cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until beans are soft.
FOUR: Remove the rosemary branch and bay leaves. Turn off the heat.
FIVE: Once the soup is slightly cool, puree in a blender or processor until desired thickness. For a thicker consistency, simply pulse until most of the ingredients are blended, but the soup is still quite thick.
SIX: Pour back into the pot and season with salt and pepper.

Would love to hear about your favorite soups.

Top Image//Lone Flag