make | nourishment

Think about what your Mum always made for you when you were ill.  Chances are, it was some kind of soup.  Throughout history, it seems, soups have been used as a healing aid for recovery from illness.  This recipe includes great life-generating plant ingredients which taste great as well as do you good.

It's getting colder outside, which means our favourite veggie - the butternut squash - is coming back in season.  It's really good for you and is an excellent source of Vitamins A & E for healthy hair and skin.  

If you can, it's best to buy butternut squash organic.  Like other veggies that take up a lot of water as they grow (like cucumbers, and cantaloupe melons), it has a propensity to absorb chemicals from the soil into it's edible parts.  

This soup is really warming and has a hint of the Orient too with its ginger kick.  Ginger is famous for healing, and if it's fresh it can be used to boost immunity to winter sicknesses.  It's a diaphoretic (it increases perspiration - as it's hot - and therefore is a good cleanser), warms up the body and eliminates cold.  It improves digestion and assimilation of nutrients too.  The soup also features garlic, which can ward of bacterial infection.  

Aunty Pam kindly bought us this amazing piece of kit.  Microplane graters are amazing for everything from ginger
to parmesan to garlic!

I used fresh ginger in this recipe (I just forgot to photograph it!) but if you've not got any, we always
keep these amazing frozen packets of herbs in our freezer.  You can get them at Waitrose
and they are invaluable for trying new recipes requiring fresh herbs.  There are all your favourites like parsley
and basil, as well as some fabulous mixes like the Thai mix (a personal favourite as I love lemongrass!)

As you've probably guessed, I made this soup for Dad to help him ward off infections.  

Regardless of all that, this soup is really delicious, so please try it when you've got a butternut squash lying around!  I'm sure you'll enjoy it.  

Enjoy today!    

-rosinaviolets    x

Butternut Squash and Ginger Healing Soup 

- 1 - 2 tsp coconut oil 

- 1kg butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into edible-sized chunks 

- 1 big leek, or 2 small leeks, washed well and sliced 

- 4 cloves of garlic, crushed 

- 2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated 

- 1.5l vegetable stock

- zest and juice of 1 lime 

- handful parsley, leaves only, chopped finely

- freshly ground black pepper 

• Heat the coconut oil in a big pan.  When it's hot and coated the bottom of the pan, add the squash and leek pieces and saute them for a few minutes.  Add in the garlic and ginger along with a splash of stock if you need to, and saute until the leek is soft.  

• Add the rest of the stock to the pan, and boil.  Bring back to a simmer, and simmer the soup for 10 minutes (until the squash is cooked, but still holding it's shape).  

• Turn the heat off, and stir in the lime juice, zest and parsley.  Season with black pepper, to taste.  You can serve it like this, or you can blend it if you would prefer it smooth.