If you love cilantro (coriander) as much as I do, you will love this soup!
This GREEN MACHINE Swiss Chard, Sweet Potato and Zucchini Soup is a great one for adding a decent hit of green goodness to your day (and it freezes really well, too.)
“Green is the prime color of the world, and that from which its loveliness arises.” – Pedro Calderon de la Barca
I’m gearing up for the May AIP Reset. I’m taking part in getting back to AIP basics for 30-days. For me, that means a renewed focus on adding lots of nutrient density to crowd out the not-so-great choices that may have been slipping into my diet of late…
It also means batch cooking oodles of soup. Soup is a great way to get a massive hit of goodness into your system fast – as long as you have prepared ahead! I particuarly love soup at lunch time because I’m not the best at taking time out of my day to prepare a complicated plate of healthy food when I’m in the zone for work.
This little number is especially good if, like me, you need to pay special attention to getting more leafy greens into your day. There’s a WHOLE bunch of swiss chard in here.
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This blogging caper can get complicated!
Swiss chard is known as silver beet in Australia and New Zealand.
While the Aussies use zucchini, the Kiwis generally prefer the more British courgette.
An orange sweet potato is usually a kumara across the ditch in my country of birth. In this recipe I’d encourage you to use the white sweet potato (to ensure your soup stays lovely and green, rather than a not-so-appealing khaki colour!)
And finally, down under the herb cilantro is just plain old coriander. We don’t differentiate.
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I’ve written before of my love of soup, and my preference for pureed (or blended) soups.
A simple thermos or travel mug of soup is great for a nutrient dense meal-on-the go, but when at home, pureed soups lend themselves to all sorts of lovely garnishes. And, since we’re talking things nutrient density, this is a really great way to add more good stuff…
Some of my favourite soup garnishes:
- a generous spoonful of fermented vegetables
- leftover roasted vegetables
- a big dollop of green sauce
- a generous scattering of micro greens or freshly snipped herbs
- some of your favourite sustainable oily fish (think mackerel, wild caught salmon or sardines)
- a serve of chopped ham (or bacon) and leek gently sauteed in some happy fat (see below)
- coconut yogurt or HERBALISCIOUS Labneh
This little soup number has a hit of sweetness thanks to the sweet potato.
It’s my current favourite!
Serves 6
- ¼ cup happy fat (I used duck fat)
- 2 onions, chopped
- Approx. 700g / 1½ pounds zucchini, trimmed and roughly chopped
- Approx. 350g / 12-ounces white sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped
- 4 cups chicken bone broth
- 1 large bunch swiss chard (silver-beet)
- 2 bunches cilantro (coriander), roots chopped off and discarded
- Juice of half a lemon
- Salt
- Heat fat in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until soft, about 8 minutes.
- Add zucchini and white sweet potato. Stir to coat.
- Add bone broth and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover with a lid and simmer until white sweet potato is soft, about 15 minutes.
- Add washed silverbeet leaves and cook for a further couple of minutes until wilted.
- Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth, adding some cilantro to each batch.
- Return puree to same pot. Add lemon juice. Season soup with salt to taste.
E N J O Y !
For some more pureed soup ideas:
CHILLED OUT Summer Lettuce Soup
RAKISH Roasted Jerusalem Artichoke and Parsnip Soup
‘Gotta Be Good For You’ Watercress & Apple Soup
