Immune boosting soup

Its that time of year where everyone seems to be getting the sniffles, myself included. I woke up feeling a bit under the weather so decided I would come up with an immune boosting soup full of immune boosting ingredients to help nourish and support my system.

This soup is a multi-vitamin, multi-mineral hit of vegetables with heart healthy fats. Lots of deep leafy greens, broccoli, chilli, lemon, ginger and garlic paired with a good source of fat – coconut oil and desiccated coconut which will help your body absorb all the fat soluble vitamins (vitamins A,D,E & K). It also contains a litre of chicken bone broth which helps support your immune system by boosting antioxidant activity in the body. Bone broth is full of glycine which is not only great for digestion but it also helps in detoxification! (Head over to my ‘The Bone Broth Wonders” article for more on the health benefits of bone broth)

Tips- make sure you get a really good bone broth for this recipe – watch out for sugar and vegetable oils in the ingredient list!

Spinach, leak and broccoli soup 

Ingredients –

• 1 large sized head of broccoli
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 2 leeks, chopped
• 2 Garlic cloves, minced
• ½ red chilli, chopped (or chilli flakes)
• Thumb sized bit of ginger
• 150 grams or half a bag of spinach
• Zest and juice of half a lemon
• 300ml good quality  chicken/beef stock
• 1 large handful parsley
• Can of coconut milk
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Broccoli sprouts or Parsley to garnish

Method –

1. Cut the broccoli into small florets and place them in a saucepan-steamer and steam through.
2. Place the coconut oil in a wok and add the leaks. Allow to cook for a few minutes so they become soft. Next add the garlic, chilli, ginger and stir through for a few more minutes.
3. Once the broccoli is steamed add the florets into the wok along with the spinach. Stir through allowing the spinach to wilt. Next add the parsley, coconut milk, stock, lemon juice and zest.
4. Once mixed through, add the mixture into a high speed blender or you could also use a stick blender. Allow to blend until the texture becomes smooth and creamy.
5. Place the soup mixure into a saucepan and heat through, add salt and pepper to season to your liking.
6. Serve with some broccoli sprouts or roasted nuts for some crunch.

Let me know how you get on with this delicious recipe!