CREAMY PUMPKIN SOUP
I LOVE Autumn and all the lovely flavours that come with it. Cinnamon, Clove, Nutmeg, Orange. So yummy.
Usually pumpkin soup is full of cream - or if it's vegan, it's full of cashew nuts to mimic that creaminess.
I've come up with a way to make this soup luscious and creamy WITHOUT any dairy and WITHOUT added fat, sugar or salt. So it's nut free too!
I used 2 types of pumpkin, Butternut and Kambocha, but you can use any kinds you like. I like these varieties because they add a really nice sweetness. And, if you are a pumpkin purist, you may say they are not pumpkins at all, but in fact are squash. Well, in my world if it's hard and orange and has pumpkin seeds inside, it's a pumpkin.
I used Essential Oils in this recipe to get the complex Fall flavours. They are so versatile and delicious, but be warned - they are very potent! Just a drop or two will do it and ALWAYS only use the Young Living Culinary Vitality Oils as these are safe to eat. Of course, if you want to use dried spices too, that will be fine.
A little sage might be lovely as well. Just spice it to your taste.
Let me know if you make this soup and leave a comment below.
Happy Fall Y'all!
Usually pumpkin soup is full of cream - or if it's vegan, it's full of cashew nuts to mimic that creaminess.
I've come up with a way to make this soup luscious and creamy WITHOUT any dairy and WITHOUT added fat, sugar or salt. So it's nut free too!
I used 2 types of pumpkin, Butternut and Kambocha, but you can use any kinds you like. I like these varieties because they add a really nice sweetness. And, if you are a pumpkin purist, you may say they are not pumpkins at all, but in fact are squash. Well, in my world if it's hard and orange and has pumpkin seeds inside, it's a pumpkin.
I used Essential Oils in this recipe to get the complex Fall flavours. They are so versatile and delicious, but be warned - they are very potent! Just a drop or two will do it and ALWAYS only use the Young Living Culinary Vitality Oils as these are safe to eat. Of course, if you want to use dried spices too, that will be fine.
A little sage might be lovely as well. Just spice it to your taste.
Let me know if you make this soup and leave a comment below.
Happy Fall Y'all!
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 small Butternut Squash
- 1/4 Kombacha Squash
- 1/2 Large Onion
- 3-5 Cloves Garlic
- 2 Medium potatoes
- 4 cups Salt Free or Low Sodium Veggie Stock
- 2-3 Drops Pumpkin Spice Essential Oil Blend (see below)
INSTRUCTIONS
Roughly chop the squashes, and onion. Add to a baking tray with the garlic.Bake at 375 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until cookedMeanwhile, peel and chop the potatoes and cook for 20 minutes or until soft in the veggie stock.Make a Pumpkin Spice Essential Oil Blend. Into a small glass bottle, decant: 2 parts Cinnamon, 1 part Clove, 1 part Nutmeg Vitality Essential Oils.When everything is cooked, peel the garlic and transfer everything to a high speed blender.Add the essential oils 1 drop at a time. Blend and taste. I used 3 drops total. (Add 1 drop , blend taste. Add another drop, blend, taste etc till you get the desired flavour).Reheat and serve .
Today I am going to dispel all the myths about Coconut Oil. Is it the wonder food people on the internet claim it to be, or is it just a beat up? First let’s find out exactly what is coconut oil and where it comes from.
You may be surprised to know that a coconut is not a nut at all. Coconuts come from the palm Cocos Nucifera and the coconut itself is the seed. Cocos plants grow in sandy soil along tropical coasts which explains why it is used abundantly in Asian cooking. The sap of the tree can be used to make alcohol, the flower can be cooked as a vegetable, whilst the roots can be used to make a coffee substitute. You can drink coconut juice from green coconuts which is high in electrolytes such as potassium, calcium and magnesium – however, as a side note, drink your coconut juice straight from the coconut, as nutrients are lost soon after it reacts with oxygen in the air.
If you are already following a Whole Foods Plant Based lifestyle, do you take supplements? If so, what do you take?
Did you know that most vitamin and mineral supplements may be a complete waste of money, because what they claim to have inside the bottle is not regulated and could be complete lies?
Added to this, vitamins and minerals and are not physiologically beneficial unless your body is deficient.
POWER PACKED PROTEIN
If you have been reading any kind of fitness magazine or website, you will probably have been told that you need to "eat more protein".
In Australia (1) and the USA (2), the average person eats about 15% of their calories from protein.
But do we really need that much protein?
Before we answer that question, let's look at what protein is, and how the body uses it first.
Why Choose a Whole Foods Plant Based Lifestyle
Unless you live under a large rock, you will know that plant-based anything is BIG business right now.
Think Beyond Burger or Daiya vegan cheese.
Companies are cashing in on the public's change to a vegan lifestyle.
Buy why?
Because people are aware of the environmental impact that farming livestock has on the planet. People don't want to feel responsible for widespread animal cruelty and global warming.
But what about the health benefits?
BLUEBERRIES.... SUPERFOOD, OR JUST YUMMY?
The word ’superfood’ has been bandied around often these days. Just look in your local supermarket and you’ll find food manufacturers claiming everything from coconut water to goji berries are ‘superfoods’.
Blueberries, according to Californian farmers’ conglomerate, Giant®, are the most super of all superfoods (2). But are Blueberries Super? Or are they just a yummy fruit?
Blueberries are part of the Vaccinium genus of plants that includes bilberries, cranberries and grouseberries. Vaccinium are native to many parts of the world, including North America and Europe and are farmed in Asia and Australia (7).
Blueberries are mainly grown in temperate and cool zones and are available all year round due to different growing seasons and climates across six Australian states (8).
Blueberries are a nutritious fruit and high in Vitamin.C. One cup of blueberries contains about a quarter of an adult’s daily Vitamin.C requirements (9).
DOES OATMEAL GIVE YOU CANCER?
Did I get your attention?
Well? Does Oatmeal give you cancer?
Read on...
Whole grain oatmeal is a nutritious food that contains a good source of complex carbohydrates, iron, B vitamins, soluble fibre, protein, plant sterols, calcium, zinc - basically it’s a superfood.
Eating a bowl of oatmeal every day can lower your cholesterol by reducing LDL (bad cholesterol) and circulating blood triglycerides (the fat in your arteries).
Antioxidants in oatmeal assist in lowering inflammation - and if you know anything about disease progression, inflammation is at the root of all evil?
THE CASE FOR A HIGH CARBOHYDRATE (CHO) DIET
Aaaaagh!!!!! Before you start screaming and running from the room, hear me out.
Carbohydrates are GOOD.
YES - GOOD.
Your body runs on them.
They are the easiest of the macronutrients (carbs, proteins, fats) to metabolise for energy.
And we ALL need energy.
Those people who think they can trick their bodies into running on ketones by drastically reducing carbohydrates are in for a shock down the road.
Ketone bodies are NOT your body's preferred fuel source and, unless you are an epileptic child, can be downright dangerous to your mental well-being and your overall health.
But that is another story....
THE POST-MENOPAUSAL PUDGE... AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT.
I was on Facebook recently and a lady in a group I belong to was complaining of the extra pounds she had put on following menopause.
She was 52 years old – just like me – so I offered her some general guidelines I use for keeping the fat at bay, hoping I could help her out.
But it got me thinking...
Is adding pounds a natural occurrence after menopause?
I always accepted it was just a normal part of ageing – and maybe of getting lazier as we age.
If hormonal changes contribute to excess adipose tissue (fat) then are we, as mature women, stuck with the muffin top?
Read more...
