Raw Vegan Green Blender Soup

Cooling soup for the warm weather

I love soup, and it just so happens to be a great option for a detox or cleanse, particularly when the weather is a bit nippy. But summer is arguably the ideal time to cleanse your body, and warming soups aren’t typically quite what we crave.

In the hot summer weather, our bodies naturally crave cooling foods like salads and fresh raw vegetables – fresh, light, refreshing food – after all it’s the season of harvest.

But what to do on a hot summer day when you really just want soup? I occasionally struggle with this. As much as I love em, I don’t always want salads or sweet smoothies, but I also don’t want to stand over a stove making soup. Recently, I had a bunch of random veggies in the fridge that needed to be used but I couldn’t come up with a reasonable smoothie idea and didn’t want to throw them in the juicer, and I most definitely didn’t want to cook them. So I was thinking soup, but again, I didn’t want the heat.

Dilemma, solved

But then I thought, what if I throw them in the blender anyway, and make a green gazpacho-esque concoction? Quite sure that I wasn’t the first to think of this, I did a quick blender soup search (I didn’t really need to add stock, did I?) and yes, it’s most definitely a thing. And no, I didn’t need to use stock.

Best of all – it’s a super easy thing. Think savory smoothie. Just throw the veggies in the blender, add a little water, and blend. To keep it raw, you can use room temperature water, and for a warmer soup, just boil or heat the water to desired temperature and add that. Hot water works, but if it’s boiling hot, it may start to break down the enzymes and cook the vegetables so it won’t technically be raw. Which is fine if that’s what you want.

And really you can use any veggies you like and have on hand. I think certain vegetables will work better than others (eg cruciferous veg would be best lightly pre-steamed), but the general idea is the same. Simple, fresh, satisfying, and super healthy – wins for days.

Raw Vegan Green Blender Soup: Recipe

What goes in:

• 1 zucchini*
• 3 celery stalks
• 1/2 onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 handful spinach
• small handful of arugula
• several stalks of parsley
• 1 1/2 cups cool or room temperature – warm water**
• optional, garnish with fresh herbs and season with spices: fresh cracked pepper, turmeric, cumin, etc

*Or vegetables of choice, in roughly the same quantity ratio. You may add more or less water to adjust for quantities. 

** If you use hot water, it won’t technically be raw, and just remember to keep the fill lid slightly open so the blender doesn’t crack from steam pressure. 

How to make:

1. Chop vegetables just enough so they easily blend. Add bulky vegetables first, then leafy vegetables after to ensure easy blending in all blenders.
2. Add water, and blend up!
3. Store extra in the fridge and ideally consume within a couple of days. Makes 2-3 servings.

Enjoy! xx