White Winter Soup

This soup is rich and velvety smooth and has subtle yet distinct flavors. It's probably not like anything you've had before! The roots add a lot of natural sweetness and the celeriac is high in natural sodium, similar to celery, so you can omit salt as a seasoning altogether for this dish.

With so much focus on green vegetables, I thought I’d give a little attention to some white veggies for a change, which are nourishing in their own right. Particularly white root vegetables. The most overeaten white vegetable in America, of course, is the lowly white potato. White potato is not on my healthy list—at all. The starches in white potato increase insulin levels as they quickly covert to sugars. I’m referring more to parsnips, daikon radish, turnips and one that I recently discovered—celeriac, which is related to celery and known for its knobby root. Onion and garlic are often overlooked as root vegetables and they have their own powerful health properties!

turnip, celeriac and parsnip

CELERIAC is high in antioxidants and is a very good source of vitamin K, which has been proven to improve bone density. It is also loaded with beneficial minerals such as phosphorus, copper, iron, calcium and manganese. Phosphorus is required for cell metabolism. Copper helps restore immunity, prevents anemia, and is required for bone metabolism. To top it off, celeriac also contains B-complex vitamins and a decent amount of vitamin C.

PARSNIPS look similar to carrots only they’re white. This sweet, juicy root is rich in several beneficial phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Like carrots, parsnips contain a particular form of anti-oxidants which research studies found have anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and anti-cancer function and offer protection from colon cancer and certain types of leukemia.

TURNIPS offer a wide array of antioxidant support, including vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, manganese and beta-carotene. They also offer complex phytonutrient support, which helps stimulate antioxidant activity and increases the positive results of combating free radical activity to prevent DNA damage to cells.

DAIKON RADISH is one of many cruciferous vegetables linked in studies with successful cancer prevention. It is commonly used in macrobiotic cooking. Daikon is the Japanese name of the white radish, also known as the Oriental radish or Chinese radish. Daikon contains several great antioxidants associated with fighting free radical damage, a known cause of cancer. Research has also shown that daikon juice helps prevent the formation of dangerous chemicals and carcinogens inside the body and helps the liver process toxins. Raw daikon is abundant with digestive enzymes that help the body process proteins, fat and carbohydrates.

Cold and flu season? Bring it on!

Ingredients:

• 3 medium-large parsnips
• 1 large celeriac
• 3 medium turnips
• 1 large white onion
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1-2 cups unsweetened soymilk (or other non-dairy milk)
• 1 can white beans (I used butter beans)
• 2 bay leaves
• Daikon root for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Finely chop the onion and garlic.
2. Cut the root vegetables into 2" pieces.
3. Place roots, bay leaves, onion and garlic into a large pot and add water, just enough to cover.
4. Loosely cover the pot and cook on medium until all roots are tender.
5. Remove bay leaves and place contents of pot into a high powered blender. Be careful, it will be HOT! I did mine in batches, since this makes a lot of soup. Use as much of the hot water as needed for each blend, along with the soymilk to help emulsify.
6. On the last blend, add the beans (drained) and blend again until smooth.
7. Transfer everything back to the pot and stir to combine.
8. Serve with some finely shredded daikon root (see notes).

Billowy, snowy clouds of deliciousness!

Makes 3 quarts. Enjoy!

Helyn's Notes: Daikon radish can be an acquired taste. I personally love it but you may not. If you've never tried it I suggest you do so before using it on the soup. I think it makes a nice presentation and adds what looks like snow atop the white mountain of soup!

Health Trails,
     Helyn