I came up with this soup while I came down with a nasty cough & cold.  I don’t like to rely on medication at the first sign of a cold, I usually opt for natural relief first, like eating alot of vegetables high in vitamin C and drinking alot of lemon & ginger tea.

There are many vegetables out there that contain vitamin C.  My personal favourites are dark leafy greens, which are delicious and great when you sick as well as butternut squash and zucchini which contain alot of nutrition and vitamins especially vitamin C.

With wintery weather also comes colds and flu’s and to try to keep you protected, I think its best to take matters into your own hands.  I like to take a daily good quality multi vitamin or you can eat your vitamins which I am trying to do with this recipe I came up with.

Ginger is another new spice that I have introduced into my diet, it is especially beneficial when you are sick, it’s known to soothe a cough and cold.  It took me a while to get used to this spice but now I love it.

Garlic is another ingredient I ALWAYS add to my soups, not only does it kill the cold virus in your body, there are so many other benefits of eating fresh garlic….

Now for the hearty soup recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup butternut squash (diced)

1 large zucchini (diced)

2 red potatoes (peeled & diced)

2 cloves of garlic (chopped)

1 red onion (diced)

2 carrots (diced)

1 celery stalk (chopped)

900 ml. chicken or vegetable stock (preferably organic)

4 cups of fresh water (or more if you prefer it to have a more liquid consistency)

1 tsp. sprinkled ginger powder or, if you can handle the strong taste (1 small chunk fresh ginger, grated)

Optional:  Add some cooked shredded chicken to the soup, if you prefer, add this into the pot during the last 10 minutes of cooking

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. dried thyme

winter soup2

Directions:

Heat up the oil in a dutch oven pan or a medium size pot, add the onion and garlic, cook until softened on low, careful not to burn the garlic (about 2-3 min.)

Raise the heat to medium and add the carrots, celery and butternut squash, cook until softened and squash is slightly browned (about 15 min.), stirring often

Now you can add the zucchini and potatoes, cooking and stirring to combine all the vegetables together.  Season with salt, pepper and dried thyme, now you can add the stock and water.  Bring to a boil and let the soup simmer for about 30 minutes, covered or until vegetables are tender to your liking.

If you are adding cooked shredded chicken, this can be added during the last 10 minutes of cooking.

soup

*Serve Hot*

*This recipe serves 3 generous portions or 4 appetizer portions*