Detoxing might be the thing furthest from your mind as we approach Christmas, but don’t let that put you off this delicious detox and hydrate vegetable soup recipe!

BRITA asked me to come up with a soup recipe that was super hydrating so I got a bit creative with the ingredients. It contains lots and lots of veggies, but perhaps a few you wouldn’t expect in a soup. This is the perfect recipe to be made at the weekend to ensure a healthy meal all week. If you are starting the Christmas indulgences early, then including a bowl of this each day will help keep you healthy, hydrated and well.

At this time of year our skin can get dry and cracked and keeping up our water intake can be a challenge. Using clean and clear BRITA filtered water in your cooking can really make a difference to the taste as well as ensuring impurities in the water are removed. This soup is also packed with hydrating vegetables including celery, peppers, cucumber and lettuce (yes, really!) Those may be salad veg, but believe me when I say they create a delicious soup!

Lettuce, peppers, cucumber and celery are all super hydrating ingredients because they have a naturally high water content, have anti inflammatory properties, are good sources of potassium and other minerals to support electrolyte balance as well as a range of health promoting anti oxidants.

Coconut oil is another good source of electrolytes as well as being anti bacterial and anti inflammatory and is known to support healthy hormone balance and metabolism.

Red lentils are full of both soluble and in soluble fibre to support digestive health and to support blood sugar balance. They also contain protein to ensure the soup is filling as well as hydrating. They are also very low in fat and low in calories.

The soup is detoxing because it’s high mineral rich water content will support the bodies natural detoxifying organs in their removal of toxins from the body. As it is a blended soup full of anti inflammatory ingredients and fibre it will support the cleansing of the digestive tract whilst also allowing it to rest and heal.

I topped my soup with a simple lemon yoghurt drizzle (just lemon juice mixed with plain yoghurt) to add another flavour dimension as well as some probiotic goodness, plus a few pumpkin seeds for crunch. You could also top it with pesto, harissa or simply some fresh herbs.

Detox and Hydrate Vegetable Soup

2015-11-16 15:11:38

Serves 6

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Ingredients

1. 1 tsp light olive oil or coconut oil
2. 1 onion
3. 2 cloves of garlic
4. 5 stalks of celery
5. 3 medium sized carrots
6. 2 red or yellow peppers
7. 1 medium cucumber
8. 1 head of romaine lettuce
9. 150g red lentils
10. 2 tsp vegetable bouillon powder
11. 1 litre of BRITA filtered water

Instructions

1. Finely chop the onion and mince the garlic. Warm the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Set the minced garlic aside to allow its beneficial enzymes to activate. Lightly fry the onions for 2 minutes.
2. Chop the celery and carrots and de-seed and chop the peppers, all into bite sized pieces and add to the pan. Continue to cook for 5 minutes.
3. Boil the BRITA filtered water. Rinse the red lentils in a sieve until the water runs clear and add to the pan with the hot filtered water, bouillon powder and the garlic that was set aside.
4. Cover the pan and simmer for 30 minutes until the soup has thickened and the red lentils are fluffy and tender. Add more filtered water if required.
5. Peel and chop the cucumber and finely shred the lettuce. Add to the pan, mix through and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
6. Leave the soup to cool briefly, then blend to desired consistency using a hand or jug blender. Season to taste and serve warm.

By Laura Agar Wilson

Wholeheartedly Laura https://wholeheartedlylaura.com/

Have you ever tried cucumber or lettuce in a soup? 

*post in collaboration with BRITA