20 Mar Carrots, Apples and a Boost of Immunity in One Soup

Hello everyone! I am Nunera, Rebel’s Documentarian Mentor and the person who asked the crew to make more plant-based recipes. When I joined Rebel last March, I was so excited to work in the kitchen with the high school students, but it was so hard when crew meal came and I had to pass up on so many good looking foods because they were not vegan-friendly. In early 2016, I transitioned to a fully plant-based diet and fell in love with making really bomb recipes that were also healthy. So I convinced the crew to try making some vegan recipes that I was pretty certain they would love – secretly I was psyched that I would finally be able to eat some good food with the crew, but I was also happy that we were expanding the Rebel menu to cater to different dietary preferences and restrictions.

My first year working with Rebel has been an incredible journey as I have supported students with making so many cool recipes – like carrot and potato “cheese” and lentil “barbacoa” – that we then served to large groups of students. It has made me so happy to see how much children love the healthy foods that we make. One student who fell in love with our “cheese” sauce, was shocked to find out that it was made with potatoes because he did not like potatoes and would refuse to eat them. He later asked me for our “cheese” sauce recipe so his mom could make it for him at home.

Today, as I am still trying to make sense at what is going on across the world, I am comforted by the creativity and tenacity of our high school student crew. Through the uncertain and scary circumstances we are all facing, the Rebels made a decision for us to spread positivity virtually by creating healthy deliciousness in our own kitchens. To honor their amazing decision, I am sharing my recipe for an Immunity Boosting Carrot Apple Soup. This idea was sparked a few weeks ago, when we had an excess of carrots and apples in the kitchen and no plan to use them. Carrots and apples are often inexpensive, easy to find and when paired with just a few other ingredients can make a for a great soup that offers some immune boosting nutrients.

The immune boosting ingredients in this recipe are ginger and garlic. That is then coupled with ground turmeric which is known for reducing inflammation has been cited as a dietary supplement for, arthritis, stomach, skin, liver, gallbladder problems, cancer and other conditions. 

I recommend using fresh ginger and garlic if possible. I had to sub in ginger powder this time because I was out of fresh ginger, but I swear by fresh ginger for preventing colds and getting better sooner if you already have one.

I also used my own vegetable broth that I made using vegetable scraps that I had left from cooking other meals. It’s basically free and just as good as store-bought, if not better.

To make it even creamier after blending, I added my homemade cashew cream, which is just soaked raw cashews blended in water. If you are allergic to nuts or making this for someone who is you could also use coconut cream or a plain dairy or non dairy yogurt.

Walah! The yummy finished product, garnished with fresh chives, that my partner and I enjoyed together.

Immunity Boosting Carrot Apple Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 small-medium sized apples, peeled and diced (I used Granny Smith because I had some on hand but I recommend using a sweeter apple like Gala or Honeycrisp if you prefer a less tart flavor)
• 3 medium sized carrots
• 1 medium sized onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1.5 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 cups of vegetable broth (homemade or store bought)
• 1/2 cup coconut OR cashew cream (a plain dairy or non dairy yogurt would also work)
• black pepper to taste
• fresh chives for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

• In a large pot, heat olive oil over low-medium heat. Add the apples, onions and carrots sauté for about 8-10 minutes, or until apples and carrots are soft. Add the garlic, ginger and turmeric, stir and let cook for another 2 minutes. 
• Add the vegetable broth and salt, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes to cool off.
• Carefully transfer the mixture into a blender (If you are using a small blender transfer into a bowl and blend in parts, pouring blending mixture into the pot).
• In a bowl, whisk together the dijon mustard, tahini, nutritional yeast, water, garlic powder, chili flakes, and sea salt until smooth and combined. Set aside.
• Heat soup over low-medium heat and add in cream of choice. Season with salt and pepper to taste
• Remove from heat and serve with chives or another garnish of your choice. 
• Enjoy it with warm bread, a sandwich or salad for a full meal.