If you’re like millions of others and have found yourself over indulging this holiday season, here’s a delicious new year’s resolution that comes in a bowl. Today, Mars Venus Living’s resident chef, Ronda Priestner, gives us a simple and practical way to do that with her cleansing vegetable soup recipe. Most of us talk about getting a healthy start to the new year, well here’s a way to do just that.
It’s easy to prepare. It makes a nourishing and tasty meal that’s not only perfect for the first day of a new year, but as a dish that you can enjoy regularly throughout 2010 and beyond.
Start by steaming a blend of your favorite organic vegetables. (All of the following choices are used at John Gray’s Hilltop Ranch during his cleansing retreat programs.) The portions of each ingredient may vary. Remember to always use what is in season from your farmer’s market. Tailor the pick of vegetables to suit your palate.
Cleansing Vegetable Soup Recipe:
2 cups Chard roughly chopped
2 cups Kale roughly chopped
2 cups Spinach
2 cups Beet top greens roughly chopped
½ bunch Broccoli cut into ½ inch pieces
3 Zucchini diced
3 Carrots diced
2 large Beets diced (3-5 if small)
1 Onion quartered
3 cloves Garlic
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste
1. Steam all of the vegetables together by putting a steamer in the bottom of a large soup pan. Place the carrots, beets, onion, zucchini and garlic at the bottom of the pan, on the steamer as they take a longer time to steam. Place the leafy greens on top.
2. Be certain that the water remains high enough. Add more water as needed. When the vegetables are fork tender, set aside and let cool. Place them in a blender. Add the water used to steam the vegetables to make a puree. Add additional filtered water if needed for desired consistency.
3. When all the vegetables are blended put them back in a pot and adds 2 TBS of coconut oil, sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, and cayenne to taste.
4. Serve hot.
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A long-time advocate of John Gray’s work, Ronda Priestner has worked as an exclusive chef and wellness consultant for private citizens and celebrities alike throughout the world. During her career as the Body, Mind and Spirit Chef, she instructed workshops and clients on weight management, energy optimization, and other daily life concerns through an easy approach to nutrition and lifestyle choices. Ronda has traveled extensively throughout the West Indies, the South Pacific, as well as South, Central, and North America, researching medicinal and native foods that formed the basis of many of her dishes.
Her own desire for optimal fitness and well-being led her to create a style of nutritious haute cuisine for specialty diets and natural living. As the owner and director of FitWise Pilates and Wellness in El Cerrito, California. Ronda also teaches pilates, brain fitness and movement to heal, function, rehabilitate and strengthen both body and soul. Visit her at www.fitwisepilates.com
I have made this soup with slight variations on the kind and amount of vegetables but the bottom line is that this soup is delicious, nutritious, filling and easy to make. One of the many great things about this soup is that I am not locked into any “exact” measurement or ingredient. I made so much I had to freeze some of it but will be able to enjoy it again soon. Mine didn’t turn out looking like the picture with chunky vegetables but that’s because I pureed everything so it turned out like a thick soup (but it can be thinned out by adding more water). I also used more beets so it had a rich deep red color. That is the beauty of this soup – I can’t see how anyone can go wrong with it unless something really “way out” is done.
Ronda,
Your enticing recipe for cleansing soup could not have come at a better time for me, personally. As you know, I’m just getting over a tummy flu or something like that. I’ll try this before getting on a plane to the East Coast to see family!
Thank you…… it sounds yummy!
Leslie
Ronda,
What a great way to start the new year. Everyone wants a wholesome and healthy soup — it speaks of both warmth and interesting taste. Thanks once again
Bob M.
[...] Year off to a healthy start. Last week, for New Year’s Day, Ronda gave us her recipe for a cleansing vegetable soup. This week Ronda helps us to prepare her pan-seared and roasted ancho-chile salmon accompanied by [...]
I’ll try and get Gene to try it!
Loved the Cleansing Soup recipe! I made it last week and have brought it to work each day in a thermos. I, too, pureed the veggies which made it much easier to sip on throughout the day. Great way to start the year, thanks Ronda.
Dear Rhonda, could you please let me know how long do you need to take it – my system is clogged, have a lot of mucus, and have been eating lots of sweets – and that is beiing a vegetarian. However, recently my eating habits have deteriorated.
Thank you, Gale