Carrot Tomato Ginger Soup: Cleanse Week 1

The holidays are over.  The good times seem to be over.  The world around us seems to have turned upside down to say in the mildest way possible.  It's been rough emotionally.  The kids and I made a sign the night before and we went to the Womxn's March in Seattle.  It was comforting and inspiring to be around all those people.  I did struggle a little to explain to the kids about some of the signs or the hats looked like abalone shellfish when they asked what they are supposed to mean.  It was all educational and empowering.  There were literally all kinds of human beings at the march in terms of race, gender, age, etc...  It felt like the celebration of United Humans! 

 I'd like to stay positive. Stay positive, calm, hopeful.  Most of all, stay healthy to be on the top of things.  It is our annual routine now that we go on a week cleanse after the holidays because we simply eat too decadently between Thanksgiving and the New Years.  I consumed all kinds of goodies like cakes, meat, wine, cookies, mochi - everything I crave all the time and by the end of the New Years,  

 When we cleanse, my cooking improves quit a bit because I am more conscious and curious about what to eat.  I don't just cook to feed the family.  I loved that I came up with creative healthy stuff all the time.  I will post some of them here the ones I think I should share with the rest of the world.  

This carrot tomato ginger soup was one of my family favorites. It's healthy and also filling.  Not a very original soup, but my family loved it.  Soup is also great for kids's lunch at school.  A big time and quilt saver when I pack their lunch in the morning. I added different things for topping or on the side like greens, avocado and nuts so that we didn't get bored with eating it throughout the cleanse week.  

The secret ingredient here is miso.  I made a batch of miso last year.  I haven't posted it here yet but it's easy and way better and much less expensive than buying it at stores.  I'll post other recipes with my miso soon.  I also topped the soup with finely grated ginger.  I usually only put it in soup when it's cooking, but this way you get more kick too.  I also topped it with the generous amount of cracked black pepper.  I read here that black pepper is also good for digestion.  Never knew it before.  This recipe is highly recommended because it's super easy to make and concentrated with all kinds of positive stuff to keep you healthy and going!!! 

Recipe:  4 bowls

1 large yellow onion

3 big stalks of celery

a bunch of carrots (5 medium)

3 large tomatoes

2 cups of water

(use 3 small cans of crushed tomatoes instead of tomatoes and water)

handfull of Italian parsley

3 cloves of garlic

3 tablespoon of vegetable soup base like this one

1 tablespoon of tomato paste

1 tablespoon of miso paste

2 tablespoons of grated ginger (1 for cooking and 1 for topping)

1 teaspoon of salt

a pinch of cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon of black pepper

1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

water

micro sprouts (optional)

Dice onion, carrots, and celeries.   Heat the oil in the pan.  In the pan, add and sauté diced vegetables and peeled garlic cloves with medium high heat.  After onions sweat, chop tomatoes and parsley and add them to the pan and stir.  Season it with salt and pepper. Add 2 cup of water and bring it to boil (add a can of tomatoes if you are using it instead here).   Add vegetable soup base, miso paste, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar and grated ginger.  Simmer for 10 minutes until the vegetables are cooked.  Let it cool down for 10 minutes.  Using the blender, blend the soup mixture until smooth.  Heat the soup in the pan with low heat,  add more water, soup vase or salt to adjust the taste.  

Serve it with a bit of grated ginger, olive oil and micro sprout.