Ayurveda Green Soup Recipe
Many of us are pressed for time while also recognizing the benefits of eating green vegetables. It’s very common to meet these needs by drinking “green smoothies”, but Ayurveda - yoga’s sister science - recommends against this for a variety of reasons.
I meet those needs by drinking green soup at least once a day, sometimes twice. I make it in batches and freeze after cooling.
While traditional Ayurveda recommends against leftovers, we all have to make it work. I prefer to freeze the soup when it’s fresh and before it ages, so I always bring 2/3 of a large batch to room temperature and freeze in individual containers for thawing.
There are many green soup recipes out there with varying quantities of ingredients. This one has more ingredients than some, but they all have similar digestive speeds, which is important in Ayurveda.
I never measure, because I also like efficiency. Sometimes it tastes “more green” than others, but you can tinker up and down and take note. The size of your vegetables will impact the flavour, too.
Ingredients
1 yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
1/2 head of broccoli (or whole small broccoli), cut into small florets
Kettle of boiling water or vegetable stock
Vegetable bouillon cube
2 zucchini, diced
large handful of spinach
large handful of arugula
juice of half a lemon
Optional ingredients:
I’ve left these spices/additions out of the recipe because I change them depending on my needs and the season. I always add juice of half a lemon (in the recipe), but I also season with cumin, chilli pepper flakes, and nutritional yeast. Sometimes I top it with white beans, especially butter beans, which add a lovely texture.
Most of the time I leave garlic out, because onion and garlic both promote fire element in Ayurveda, and I have lots of that! You can include garlic and onions, but some Ayurvedic practitioners recommend leaving them out altogether. You could just start with the celery, and then when you need the medicinal powers of garlic and onion, they will be effective for you.
Instructions
sauté the onion in water or a little oil - coconut or olive - until almost soft.
Add celery for a couple of minutes more.
Add the cauliflower and broccoli, cover with the boiling water and add bouillon cube.
Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer. Cook until the cauliflower is tender, about 9 - 10 minutes.
Turn off the heat and add the zucchini, spinach and arugula. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes.
Add the juice of half a lemon.
When cool enough to handle, puree in batches.
Allow to come to room temperature and then freeze 1/2 - 2/3 for future use.