Hot soup in the spring or summer?! Absolutely! And why not? Our body’s natural “cooling system” may make you sweat, but by the time you’re finished slurping up my Vegan Mushroom, Kale & Parsley Tom Kha Soup, you’ll be cool as a cucumber. Think of some of the hottest climates in the world and you’ll notice the temperature and spice levels are hot to extremely hot (like Thailand/Thai food!). This actually helps the body cool itself down. It’s amazing how infinitely intelligent our bodies are, isn’t it?!
What’s great about this soup is that it’s totally plant-based, so we’re leaving out the “gai” (aka: chicken), and keeping this silky aromatic soup just full of beauty-building ingredients that are easy to digest. This will ensure that we’re filling our bodies with cell-building vitamins and cleansing properties, and consuming a complete beautifying meal- all in one delicious bowl!
Why Plant-based?
Though I am a 100% plant-based myself, I would never tell you that you have to be. I think that everyone has to be authentic to where they currently are and how they feel- but I do like to share what I enjoy and believe in and am passionate about. Some of you Beauties may wish to continue eating meat or eggs- perhaps because it’s part of your culture or preference, and may want to meld that part of your life with the Beauty Detox guidelines. If so, what I do encourage is to try and cut down on the consumption of animal products you’re eating to only a few times a week, then think about paring down even more from there. That way, you can eat the animal foods when you are really craving them or as part of a special celebration, but nutrient-dense plant foods make up the vast bulk of your diet.
Through much studying and research, I’ve learned that humans do not need to include animal protein in our diets—from a nutritional standpoint—and achieve higher levels of health and beauty without them. Animal products are acidic and have congestive, artery-clogging qualities, which never digests cleanly the way plant foods do. Toxins bio-accumulate as you go up the food chain, and so a plant-based diet leaves much less toxins in your body overall. The cleaner the body and the fewer the toxins, the less the free radicals, the more the oxygen distribution, and the slower we age!
If there’s any area of the Beauty Detox diet I would like to see everyone adhere to as much as possible, it’s omitting dairy from the diet! I know it can be tough if you are a cheese lover- as I once was….but it can be done! There are so many amazing cheese and dairy alternatives these days. Dairy is not created for the human body, and our bodies therefore can not digest it cleanly. It is congestive and mucus-forming, two adjectives which are certainly not conducive to building radiant beauty and health!! One study shares how dairy has also been linked to acne, breast cancer, and prostate cancer, partially because of the ingestion of hormones in the milk itself and the effects milk consumption has on hormones once it’s inside the body [1].
Milk and other dairy products have also been linked to digestive difficulties such as constipation (hmm maybe all those millions of cheese blocks I ate throughout high school and college were connected to my super intense constipation?!!), making the removal of waste and toxins from the body much slower and more difficult.
It really is all about Progress- Not Perfection towards a healthier lifestyle. This can mean eating more vegetables, taking the right probiotics, replacing 3-4 dinners a week with plant-based meals, or going all the way with a full plant-based diet a few days in a row and building from there :) . The point is, find some aspect that feels like a good starting place to start out with and apply some Beauty Detox principles!
Maximize Your Nutrition With: Mushrooms
Mushrooms are prized for their health properties in the East- but here in the West (unless you are reading this from the East- in which case, your culture may very well already get it about mushies. Awesome!) we tend to take these little super heroes for granted! What I love about mushrooms is even when cooked, they retain many of their nutrients, so you don’t have to always eat them raw. They contain vitamin D, antioxidants and tons of minerals, including high levels of selenium, riboflavin, copper, niacin, tryptophan, pantothenic acid, potassium, phosphorous, zinc, manganese, thiamin, pyridoxine, and folate. Mushrooms also contain iron, calcium, fiber, and magnesium (in smaller amounts).
Here are just a few of the benefits you can receive when you make mushrooms a part of your healthy food habits!
Antioxidant
Mushrooms contain antioxidants, including ergothioneine5, which protects cells, fights against oxidative damage, slows aging, and protects health.
Anti-inflammatory
Inflammation has been linked to chronic disease, autoimmune disorders, pain, heart attack, and stroke. Mushrooms intake blocks function of pro-inflammatories that contribute to inflammation in the body.
Source of B12
Though there is some controversy, mushrooms have be known to provide a valuable source of vitamin B12. The content of B12 varies from farm to farm which makes sense—due to growing conditions varying.
We used to get B12 from unprocessed, healthy soil before the advent of modern food manufacturing. If you are all plant-based/vegan, it is still recommended that you supplement.
Other Beauty Goodies: Kale & Parsley
If you’re a Beauty-Newbie, you may not know that one of my favorite beauty greens is kale. If green veggies can sustain and nourish the mighty gorilla in the Rwandan jungles (trekking with these amazing animals was one of the most beautiful sights I’ve been lucky enough to see up close up and personal!), then I know these hardy greens can do the same for us.
Kale provides some major blood-building nutrients found in the mix of chlorophyll, protein-building amino acids, enzymes, minerals, and antioxidants. It also provides comprehensive support for the body’s detoxification system, which is a major topic in all my Beauty Detox books.
As for parsley, you know I throw this green buddy into my Glowing Green Smoothie®, due to it being rich in the beauty Vitamins A and C, folic acid, and flavonoids that act as antioxidants. This, in turn, puts an end to free radicals that create damage to our cells—keeping our skin glowing and young.
Parsley is also high in iron, and the high vitamin C content assists the absorption of iron. Being a blood purifier, parsley balances the body and is an excellent digestion restorative remedy—improving the digestion of proteins and fats—helping to cleanse the liver of toxins and rejuvenating it in the process.
Packed with amazing veggies and all in one bowl, this will become one of your favorite yummy and hearty meals!
Prepare all ingredients.
Heat broth in pot to just under a boil, then turn down to low.
Add the mushrooms and let the mushrooms simmer for 10-15 minutes or so to help flavor the broth.
Add the kale and parsley.
Add the coconut milk.
Add the tamari.
Add the coconut sugar and turn up heat to medium for just a minute or so. Take off heat and stir in lime.
Serve immediately.
See full recipe below…
Vegan Mushroom, Kale & Parsley Tom Kha Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups of vegetable broth
- 2 button mushrooms sliced thinly
- 1/2 cup kale chopped
- 1/4 cup of parsley chopped
- 1/2 cup coconut milk like the So Delicious Culinary Coconut milk
- 1 Tbs. tamari
- 1 tsp. coconut sugar
- Juice of 1/2 a lime
- Sea salt to taste (totally optional)
Instructions
- Heat broth in pot to just under a boil, then turn down to low.
- Add the mushrooms and let the mushrooms simmer for 10-15 minutes or so to help flavor the broth.
- Add the kale, parsley, coconut milk, tamari and coconut sugar and turn up heat to medium for just a minute or so. Take off heat and stir in lime.
- Serve immediately.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was on Instagram!
Let me know what your favorite soup is, and don’t forget to add this recipe to your Dinner Recipes Pinterest Board!
Love,
Kimberly
Bubby’s first Easter egg hunt!
I made this last night and it was very creamy and satisfying. I used cilantro because I didn’t have parsley. Can you talk more about coconut sugar? Is it a substitute for processed white sugar?
Love this soup! Made it last week and it was comforting and satisfying. I used light brown sugar as I didn’t have any coconut sugar on hand. Is light brown sugar ok to use?
Delicious!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was amazing – so comforting and satisfying!
That’s fantastic…thanks so much for trying it out and sharing your feedback. Keep up the great work and lots of love and support to you! ;)
What is Tamari?
do I have to use it or what is a good Alternative?
Very good recipe! I made it for my family tonight. It made me feel so good.
Wonderful…and thanks for giving it a try. Keep up the good work and sending you lots of love and support! ;)
So delicious!!! Had an upset stomach and this soup was my lifesaver! :)
So great to hear Ashley! Thanks for giving this a try and sharing your feedback. Lots of love! ;)
Hi Kimberly, can I replace coconut sugar with coconut nectar? Will it make a big difference to the flavor?
Thank you
Hi Anna and thanks for checking out my soup recipe! As for your question regarding coconut sugar vs coconut nectar, you’ll be happy to know that the nutritional profile, and glycemic index of both, stays the same. The consistency and the taste however are quite different, but with using only 1 teaspoon, you shouldn’t notice too much of a difference. Test it out and see what you think. Be sure to let us know what you think of the flavors and sending you lots of love! ;)