This soup was made for January. Or, really anytime you're feeling sluggish and generally yucky.
My inspiration for this recipe came from my best friend's manfriend, Jon. He's Jewish and according to my best friend, his chicken soup is so healing its magical. Because of this, and with his permission, we have dubbed his soup Jon's Magical Jew Soup.
For my own version, I decided to leave religion and chicken out of it and stick to what I know best: VEGGIES!!!! We've got veggies, cilantro, parsley, ginger, garlic, sweet potato, turmeric, black pepper - all of my healing, nourishing, and detoxing friends. Let's get to it!
Ingredients:
1 tbsp. Extra Virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
4 heaping cups of fresh cabbage, chopped
1 large handful of fresh parsley
1 large handful of fresh cilantro
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 - 2" piece of fresh ginger, peeled
Splash of water
1 - 14.5 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
1 large sweet potato (or two small), peeled and chopped into 1" chunks
6 cups of low-sodium vegetable stock
1 jalapeno, whole (optional)
1 tsp ground turmeric
3/4 tsp of fine sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the olive oil and once it shimmers, add the onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for about 8-10 minutes, until the veggies become soft. Add the cabbage, stir, and sauté for another 10 minutes.
While the cabbage cooks, add the parsley, cilantro, garlic cloves, fresh ginger, and splash of water to a blender. Blend on high, adding more water if necessary, until the texture is smooth.
Pour the herb slurry into the pot, along with the crushed tomatoes, and allow to cook for 1 minute. Add the sweet potatoes, vegetable stock, jalapeno (if using), ground turmeric, and sea salt. Stir to combine
Increase the temperature and bring to a boil, reduce the temperature to low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, remove the jalapeno and smash some of the sweet potatoes against the side of the pot using the back of the spoon to thicken the soup. Remove from heat, add the black pepper and stir. Serve immediately with more chopped parsley, cilantro, or the chopped cooked jalapeno. Enjoy!