Before I learned about the healing benefits of Ayurveda, an ancient and holistic approach to medicine and wellbeing, I used to think that salads and smoothies were the healthiest foods you could eat. But eating too many cold foods can actually bring you out of balance and make you dry, cold and depleted of energy. These are all signs of an imbalance in the body.
Food is meant to nourish us and when we eat seasonally and listen to what our body needs, we can have better balance in the body and less dis-ease. In the colder months of Fall and Winter, soup can be your bodies best friend! Soup warms the body and awakens the digestion. Soups are mostly liquid so they are very hydrating for the body and leave you feeling full and satisfied. Soup is a very grounding and nourishing meal that has been used for centuries to support health. As a busy mom, I love making soup on Sundays and use it as part of our families lunches and dinners during the week. Let's get to the recipe!
Vegan Pumpkin Lentil Soup
This Pumpkin soup recipes is one of my favorites because it includes lentils which are a great source of plantbased protein. It does not have an overwhelming pumpkin taste to it and even my kids love it!
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil or water to sauté
1 onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 tsp thyme
Pinch of red pepper flakes
4-5lb baking pumpkins (I used two), skin peeled and seeds removed, chopped
1 cup dried red lentils
6 cups vegetable broth
Salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped parsley for garnish
pumpkin seeds for garnish
Instructions:
Sauté onion and garlic for 5 minutes then add red pepper flakes, thyme, salt and pepper. Cool for a few more minutes then add remaining ingredients: pumpkin, lentils, broth. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes.
Uncover and let cool for a few minutes. Then purée the soup using an immersion blender until desired consistency is reached. I like to leave mine a little chunky!
Serve into bowls and top with parsley and pumpkins seeds and additional pepper or red pepper flakes.
Enjoy alone or with a side salad and/or a slice of sourdough toast.
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