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How was your weekend? We went to my cousin’s all-out birthday cocktail party and got all dressed up.

I rarely wear make up but my mum and I had a great girly night before hand putting my make up on and rollers in my hair. It was fun pretending I bother with more than yoga pants and a bare face occasionally .

Speaking of my amazing mum, some of my fondest childhood memories are of Sunday afternoons spent watching my mum make giant pots of thick, hearty, comforting vegetable soups.

Often times I would be reading, spending time with my brother or friends, doing homework, or playing around the house kept company by the inviting smells of garlic, onion and an array of vegetables simmering away for a late afternoon lunch.

As soon as the soup was ready, my mum would call us up and we would ladle giant spoonful’s into ceramic bowls and break off big hunks of crusty whole grain bread to dip into the bowl of warming soup.

No matter how giant the pot of soup, it seemed we would always eat most of it in an afternoon, having it as lunch, snack and dinner. It was rare to walk away without at least two bowls being consumed at a sitting, so delicious were my mum’s soups.

I still adore a hot, hearty vegetable soup and as the weather cools here in Australia, I am craving soups once again. Last night Alan and I made a fantastic vegan Potato and Leek Soup, sans the cream, which was met with groans of pleasure from my meat and dairy-loving boyfriend.

Tonight I decided to re-create the recipe with an even easier to digest recipe using parsnips instead of potatoes. Parsnips are one of my favourite vegetables for creating thick, creamy textures for mash and soups and they didn’t let me down in this recipe.

This soup is reminiscent of the more traditional Potato and Leek Soup, without the cream or starchiness. I have shared my vegan version of this familiar favourite also, because it really was that good .

Before I share the recipes, a reminder that tomorrow is the next FREE online health class in the 2011 series. I will be telling you all about fasting so that you can experience the benefits of this age-old practice, when done intelligently and carefully, whether you are new to it or an experienced faster. 

You will learn, for starters:

• What fasting is and the different types of fasting
• When a fast is helpful and when it’s not
• What to consume when fasting and why
• The key principles of fasting that will determine your success, enjoyment and results from the fast
• When to break a fast and why
• What to consume when you break a fast
• Recipe suggestions for a delicious fast

The class is taking place tomorrow, the 3rd of May at 7pm Australian Western Standard time, which is 7am US Eastern time. If you can’t make the call live, you will be able to listen to the free recording for one week after the call date. You can secure your access here.

Now for the scrumptious recipes!

Vegan Parsnip and Leek Soup

Ingredients:

4 parsnips, peeled and chopped

3 leeks, chopped

1 brown onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon of dried thyme

2 teaspoons of dried sage

1 tablespoon of unpasteurised miso

3 cups of vegetable stock (add more stock or water to get desired thickness)

2 tablespoons of coconut oil

Herbamare or sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat the coconut oil in a soup pot. Add the onion and leeks and sauté on a low heat until they start to turn golden brown (this means they are caramelising and releasing their natural sugars – yum!).

Add the chopped garlic and sauté for a minute longer.

To the pot, add the vegetable stock, miso, chopped parsnips, herbs and seasonings. Simmer until the parsnips are soft.

Use a blender or hand blender to blend the soup to a thick, smooth consistency. You can blend it to be very smooth or partly smooth (I chose the latter but both are delicious).

Garnish with some chopped chives, parsley or rocket and enjoy! You can serve this with some millet bread if you like (recipe coming soon!) or after a big fresh salad like I did.

For the Vegan Potato and Leek Soup, simply swap the parsnips for 4 medium potatoes (peel them if not organic) and follow the same directions.

Enjoy in the comfort of your home with loved ones. Murmurs of warm delighted pleasure optional but seriously recommended.

Do you have a favourite soup recipe you would like me to make healthier? Let me know below and I’ll endeavour to post a cleaner version here on the blog in the coming weeks!