Health Food Junkies

How are you enjoying the weather . If you are in Calgary then you are probably getting a bit tired of the extreme cold. However, I see my friends in the West are getting hit with snow. The cold makes you slow down which isn’t a bad thing right?

I made this soup up the other day and ate it all this week for lunch. I wasn’t feeling like the usual butternut squash soup, although so delicious. I wanted to use other veggies and add some protein to it. It’s got a bit of Moroccan flair with the cinnamon. Cinnamon goes great with any squash. Squash is abundant right now and full of vitamins. I picked this one up, yup you guessed it my favourite market KFM. I did this soup sans onions and garlic, but if you like that, add it in. I was going for a warming sattvic like soup. Try it and let me know if you like it.

• 1 tbsp Coconut Oil, Ghee or Olive Oil for sautéing
• 2 large stalks of Celery, diced large
• 3 large Carrots, diced large
• 3 medium Parsnips, diced large
• 1 medium Butternut Squash, peeled, seeded and cut up into 1″ cubes
• 1/2 tsp dried Rosemary
• 1/2 tsp dried Thyme
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• 5 Black Pepper Corns
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1 cube or tsp Low Sodium Veggie Stock (or veggie stock if you have it)
• 7 cups of filtered Water
• 1 398 ml can (or more) cooked Chickpeas

Heat the oil in soup pot, add the carrots and celery, sauté on medium-high heat for about 5 min. Just so they start to sweat a bit. Add everything else but the chickpeas and bring to a boil, cover and turn the heat down to a good simmer for about 30 min or so. Test the veggies for softness. Add the chickpeas and cook uncovered for about 5 min, so everything is warm. Serve on its own or over rice of your choice. I had it with a fragrant jasmine rice a few times. Perfect for these cold days in Calgary (or anywhere).

Eat well, Be well (and stay warm),

Nat