If you can find celeriac or celery root in your grocery store, you should try this soup.  It’s a low starch vegetable that has a wonderful celery-like flavor, but it’s meatier than celery so it lends a creamy texture to soups when they are pureed.  Our Co-op here in Roanoke often has organic celeriac so I have been using them in soup regularly this winter.  The cauliflower soup recipe I posted can be made with celeriac–just omit the carrot and if you want the potato and add 1 celeriac root.

This simple soup is more like celery soup but without dairy–except for the ghee which is well tolerated by many folks sensitive to dairy.  The soup is blended once the vegetables are cooked so no need to finely chop them.

 

Serves 4

1 large celeriac root, peeled and cubed into 1 inch pieces

1 very large (about 4 inches in diameter) yellow onion, chopped

1/3 cup of ghee

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 small potato, chopped (optional)

4 cups of broth or water ( I used water)

1/4 cup fresh dill weed, chopped fine or 1 tsp. ground dill seed (optional)

salt to taste

black pepper, optional

 

In a soup pot, melt the ghee.  Add the onion and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes giving an occasional stir.  Wash and chop the other veggies while the onion is sauteing.  Add the other vegetables and continue to heat over medium heat giving an occasional stir for another few minutes.  Add the broth or water.  Bring to a boil and immediately reduce the heat to low to keep the soup cooking at a simmer for about an hour or until the vegetables are very tender and easily pierced.  Remove from heat and carefully blend with an immersion blender until creamy.  Add salt, and pepper if desired, to taste.  Serve hot garnished with dill.

 

 

Many people think their diet will be inadequate (especially in fiber) without including grains.  Yet many other people are perfectly happy and healthy without eating grains.  Whether one is following a keto or low carb or low inflammatory diet, there can be plenty of fiber and nutrients in a grain-free diet.  And it is not hard to replace some grain dishes, with ones containing hi-fiber, nutritious ingredients but no grain products.  If you like hot cereal in the morning, give this a try.  Some compare it to cream of wheat.

Serves 2

1/4 cup organic coconut flour

2 Tbsp. organic flax seed, ground to a powder in blender

1 cup water

1/2 cup coconut milk (optional, can be replaced by another 1/2 cup of water)

1/2 organic apple, chopped fine

1/4 cup blueberries, optional, fresh or frozen

2 Tbsp. chopped walnuts, optional

1-2 Tbsp. collagen powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 Tbsp. ghee or butter

1/4 tsp. monk fruit powder to sweeten, optional

Bring water to a boil and reduce heat to low.  Add apple and cinnamon, cover, and simmer 5 minutes until tender.  Add ground flax and coconut flour and stir well.  If using, add coconut milk , collagen powder,  walnuts and blueberries.  Continue to stir over low heat until evenly heated.  Add water if desired to consistency of your choice.  Remove from heat.  Add ghee and sweeten with monk fruit to taste if desired. Serve immediately.

 

A cup of this before a meal will warm you up, stimulate digestion, and act as an anti-inflammatory.  All of that and it is pretty tasty.  A serving is about 1/2 to 1 cup so this should serve 2-4.

1 tsp. ghee

1 tsp. turmeric powder

1/2 tsp. cinnamon powder

1/4 tsp. cardamom powder

1/2 tsp. ginger powder

pinch of ground black pepper

1/2 cup coconut milk

2 cups water or black tea of your choice

monk fruit powder

Melt ghee in sauce pan.  Over medium-low heat, add spices and stir well until it browns lightly–just a minute or so.  Pour in coconut milk and stir well.  Continue to heat and add water or tea.  Add monk fruit powder to taste.  Serve hot.