Happy New Year! I hope you are well and enjoyed some form of relaxation with those you love! The holidays can be joyful but a bit of a whirlwind and are here and gone in the blink of an eye! Don’t get me wrong, I love every minute between Halloween and New Year’s, but this year was particularly busy and took a little bit of a toll on my health! I am just now starting to feel better after a rough bout of bronchitis, which I used to get all the time as a kid. Secondhand smoke is fo’ real, and my lungs are physically scarred from years and years of coughing from inhaling the toxic fog. Another reason Covid kinda scares me, ya know?
But this was also the first time I’d been sick in just over 6 years. And I can’t get sick! I have people who depend on me to cook, clean, transport, teach, write, exercise, volunteer, and well, the list goes on and on. And not to mention, cooking for me is a way of relaxing and being creative. So, what’s a girl to do if she can’t cook for nearly 3 weeks? Read, rest, and reflect—a lot. And when I got well enough to cook again, I returned to the kitchen with a significant mind shift. At the forefront was the question, “Am I really feeding myself if I’m not feeding myself well?” Deep, I know. But, alas, you are what you eat.
Listen, I am by no means a junk food vegan, but I not gonna lie. I love chips and cashew queso, like, a lot. And sometimes I get lazy. I also get caught up in convenience foods, Doordash, and sometimes, skipping meals entirely. I also give in to unhealthy cravings, and sometimes I do not feed my body well. This is a far cry from my early days as a plant-based eater–when I was all in. All. In. No oil, no processed anything, no wheat, no starchy stuff. I was a well-oiled machine, lost a bunch of weight, and felt ten years younger. I still feel 10 years younger, but the weight is slowly creeping back, and admittedly, I’m feeling a little rusty.
So the first several days back in the kitchen, I made only raw foods for 4 days. I was amazed at how light yet full and satisfied I felt. I started reading about the miraculous enzymatic functions found in whole foods and how cooking foods actually kill these beneficial enzymes that our food is trying to provide us. I’m not sure I will ever be 100% raw, but I’m definitely game for 50-75%, and who knows!
That said, I’m super excited to share this recipe with you. This oil-free soup is super healthy and completely delicious. It’s also 50% cooked and 50% raw. Part soup part salad (who says ya can’t), I added a Yukon gold to help thicken, some green peas to help brighten, and topped it with a raw zucchini salad that makes me want only to grow zucchini’s in my garden this summer! Pistachios give it a nice crunch and a little protein boost. The basil gives it depth, and the parmesan cheese, well, you know…! Let me know if you made it and how you liked it. I love hearing from y’all. Until next time!
–Steph
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Curried Zucchini Soup with Pistachio Parmesan Noodles
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 cups 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Delicious and creamy this dairy-free, oil-free soup, will leave you wanting seconds!
Ingredients
Soup:
- 2 tablespoons organic vegetable stock
- 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and chopped
- ½ jalapeño, seeded and chopped
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons organic curry powder
- 2–3 pounds organic zucchini (about 3 large), 5-6 cups diced, 2 cups spiralized
- 1 cup frozen organic peas
- 1 small Yukon gold potato, diced
- 4 cups organic vegetable stock
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Noodle Salad Garnish :
- 2 cups organic zucchini noodles
- 1 tablespoon organic lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons organic basil, minced
- 1/2 cup raw pistachios, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup vegan parmesan
- 1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper
Instructions
Notes
Keywords: no oil soup, zucchini soup, vegan soups