This morning is off to a HOT start.
If you’re reading this post shortly after it goes live, there’s a good chance I’m either in the middle of yoga pose, or a melty puddle on the floor . On Sunday, one of my friends convinced me that we should go to a 6am hot yoga class at some point this week – today to be precise. Since I’m currently all about listening to my body, trying different workouts and doing lots of stretching, I agreed.
We’re off to Moksha, which was my favourite type of hot yoga back when I lived in Waterloo. I used to LOVE going there – especially when it was frigidly cold outside – sweating like crazy while working into muscles that were super stiff from running. I’d leave those classes feeling so unbelievably blissed out, and I’m hoping that this morning’s class has the same effect.
Admittedly, yoga is not my favourite way to sweat. That might sound funny considering I work for a company that has yoga at its core. But truthfully, the only type of yoga I’ve ever really loved has been the hot kind – probably because I feel that heat helps me stretch deeper. Of course, there’s also the sweat factor, and if you, like me tend to do a lot of higher intensity workouts, you might be used to using this as a gauge of how good your class was. I haven’t done a hot yoga class in what feels like an eternity, and while part of me wonders how I’ll do adjusting back to that sort of heat, the other part is really excited to start my morning this way. If I don’t post on Friday, there’s good chance I melted away. ?
Speaking of hot things, I’ve got soup for you today. Unlike me after hot yoga, it smells absolutely delicious. It’s also full of some of the most amazing anti-inflammatory and healing ingredients possible.
A couple of weeks ago I gave you a recipe for homemade curry powder, and one of the key ingredients in there was turmeric. That’s what’s responsible for turning this Golden Chickpea and Vegetable Soup – well, golden. It contains the compound curcumin, and studies on both curcumin alone and turmeric have found that they help to reduce joint inflammation and pain.1 I like to sprinkle it on roasted veggies and sometimes toss peeled turmeric root into my smoothies, but if you’re not into that quite yet, this soup is a perfect way to get a good dose.
Another ingredient you’ll find in this soup is bone broth. As you may have assumed from the name, bone broth comes from animals and therefore if you make the recipe with it, it’ll no longer be vegan. However, the benefits are so great that even I as a pescetarian have worked organic bone broth into my diet.
The broth is made from simmering bones (from turkey, chicken, etc) in water on the stove, and during this time, they release compounds like glycine, glutamine, collagen, glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, many of which are amazing for bone and joint health. The bones also release minerals including calcium, magnesium, sulphur and phosphorous in a form that our bodies can readily use.
Studies are showing that bone broth in the diet can help repair damage in the gut2, boost immune function3 (perfect at this time of year!) and protect the joints. I also love it for the collagen benefit. Our bodies produce less of this as we get older, so by adding it into recipes you’re helping to keep your skin, hair and nails vibrant and strong. Let’s make some beauty soup, shall we?
Golden Chickpea and Vegetable Soup
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Ingredients (6 cups)
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 2 tbsp curry powder
- 1 1/2 cups diced organic celery
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 2 cups cauliflower florets
- 1 1/2 cups sliced leeks
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas
- 4 cups bone broth, water, or a mixture of the two (note that the recipe will no longer be vegan if you use bone broth, but will be super rich in anti-inflammatory healing compounds)
- 1 cup curly kale, stems removed and leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
Instructions
Melt the coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat.
Sautee the garlic and ginger in the oil, along with the curry powder and turmeric for 1 minute.
Add the celery, carrots, cauliflower and leeks. Continue stirring frequently for 1 minute.
Pour the bone broth and/or water into the pot. Stir in the chickpeas and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cover with a lid.
Allow the soup to simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
Remove the lid and switch off the heat. Stir in the kale and parsley, allowing the leaves to wilt in the hot soup.
Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.
Ladle into bowls and serve.
Click here to print the recipe.
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So tell me…
- Do you enjoy hot yoga? If so, how often do you practice? I’m hoping that this will be the first class back of many in my winter fitness regimen. Ideally I’d love to be going twice per week but I’ll take it one class at a time for now!
- Are you into bone broth? If so, do you make your own or buy it?
I absolutely love hot yoga and I find that I increase in frequency over the winter in an effort to stay warm! Something tells me that this soup will help too. 🙂