‘Chilled out’ lettuce soup
celebratING the humble lettuce with The magic that is a chilled soup full of nutrient density and flavour!
Adding more good stuff to my diet life, and crowding out the not-so-good stuff, remains one of the primary reasons that I live this AIP way of life. And, I know it won’t surprise you to know that for me, this means focusing on nutrient density.
Some of the most nutrient-dense foods almost all of us could be eating more of are leafy greens – I’m talking kale and spinach and rocket (that’s arugula for you Amoricans), and silverbeet or chard, and cos (aka romaine). These babies are all rockstars of the food world.
Green leafies top the charts in vitamins A, C and K, potassium and fibre with only 5 to 40 calories per cup. Cruciferous leafies like as kale and collards and cabbages are recognised for their potential roles in cancer prevention. Kale, spinach and turnip greens are high in lutein, a phytochemical that may reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration. Handy if you have a family history of this, like me.
When we look specifically at cos (or romaine) romaine lettuce we find it is packed with vitamin C, vitamin K, and beta carotene. It’s also a good source of folate which we need for methylation. And, it’s this methylation that I’m especially interested in today.
A word on leafy greens for methylation
MTHFR stands for methylene-tetrahydrofolate reductase. It is an important enzyme that converts the folate you eat, by way of all those leafy green vegetables, into the active form – called 5-Methyltetrahydrofolate. This conversion is called methylation.
Methylation is essential for our cells to function. All of them. Every single one.
If you have a gene mutation for MTHFR (I do, along with about 50% of the population) it will affect how much active folate you have available.
You can currently test for two key mutations of MTHFR – MTHFR C677T and MTHFR A1298C.
At this Christmassy time of year, the whole nutrient density thing can fall by the wayside a smidge.
When it comes to eating my leafy greens, I have a couple of tried and true kitchen rituals for adding more to my diet.
- Green sauce. Oh, green sauce, how I love you. Dolloped or schmeared on top of boiled eggs, beef, lamb, chicken or fish. Stirred through zoodles. Cut with more EVOO to make a great salad dressing. You are my folate secret weapon!
- Healing Green Broth (HGB). I’m a huge fan of my mate, Stephanie’s creation. If you’re feeling a tad sluggish, whip yourself up a batch of this baby – and in less than 10 minutes your body will be thanking you.
But, when the temperatures soar, hot soup isn’t always what a girl (or BOY!) craves…
This little LETTUCE SOUP number is just the ticket!
(Especially given the record highs we’ve been having here in Sydney of late! We hit two consecutive days of over 104°F in November!)
So today, an AIP-friendly, soup full of leafies. Something that includes all the nutrient-dense additions you find in a good green leafies Soup Equation soup. Things like homemade bone broth, healthy fats, leafy greens and a good handful of herbs,
But, a chilled version of Lettuce Soup that tastes great on a hot day.
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 leek, washed and roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- 500mls (approx 2 cups) chicken bone broth
- 400g (approx 14 oz) cos (romaine) lettuce, washed and roughly chopped
- ¼ cup fresh parsley and/or mint leaves, loosely packed
- Sea salt to taste
- Juice of half a lemon
- Extra virgin olive oil and fresh herbs for garnish
- In a medium saucepan, heat fat over medium heat. Add leek and garlic and cook until softened, stirring constantly, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add bone broth and bring to a simmer. Cook vegetables until very tender, about 8 minutes.
- Add lettuce and herbs, and cook until wilted and softened, about 2 minutes.
- Carefully ladle broth and vegetables to a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Start at the lowest speed and increase to high, taking care not to splash yourself with the hot liquid.
- Season carefully with salt and lemon juice (add the lemon juice sparingly in stages until your desired flavour is reached).
- Pour into a bowl and chill in the fridge before serving.
- Garnish with a drizzle of EVOO and fresh herbs to serve
E N J O Y !
