Soup Archives - Strength and Sunshine

Tummy Healing Soup For One

December 14, 2015 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 147 Comments

Soup for the soul. A gluten-free and vegan tummy healing soup for one full of anti-inflammatory and nourishing ingredients. Turmeric, ginger, veggies, spices, and a bit of pasta to bring you all the love your body needs.

During the cold winter months we tend to find ourselves in need of comfort food almost daily. Some days it’s due to a winter cold, maybe an overindulgence in those seasonal cookies, or maybe it’s just because you need some warmth from the cold and a long day at work. When people think of comfort food they may think of heavy and rich dishes that taste good in the moment, but do nothing for the tummy afterwards, leaving you needing more comfort to feel better.Read More

Smokey Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup

January 15, 2014 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 39 Comments

When I got my Ninja for Christmas I knew one of the first things I wanted to make was a butternut squash soup. I have pinned so many recipes over the last few months for creamy pureed soups and those orange bowls or warmth kept calling me, but I had no way to make some of my own. I had never even had a butternut squash soup, but I love butternut so why wouldn’t soup be a winner as well. So for New Year’s Eve dinner I decided to end my curiosity and lust for a butternut squash soup and finally put it on the table.

I wanted my soup to be a totally clean and delicious side dish. So all I used was veggies, spices, and water. It couldn’t be more simple. Non of those yucky extras that are added to your traditional store-bought or restaurant made condensed of boxed soups. Why add flour, soy, cream, or starches, when all you really need is the veggies?Read More

Artichoke and Shiitake Mushroom Split Pea Soup

December 4, 2013 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 30 Comments

When I won a contest with iHerb back in October, it was for products from a company called Great Eastern Sun. There weren’t many options for things to get that I could actually use, but I did end up with some great Organic Nori Sheets, minced garlic, English Breakfast Tea, and two bags of Dried Shiitake Mushrooms. I have always wanted to try dried mushrooms in a recipe and after seeing Sarah use them in a blended soup, I knew soup would be the way to go. However I didn’t want a blended soup, I wanted just a light veggie soup. I also had a bag of Dried Green Split Peas that had been begging to be cooked. Thus, soup it was!

Normally when you hear Split Peas you think of a blended soup as well. but I don’t have the appliances to do any mass blending. Plus, blended soups never really soup appealing to me. But the more I root veggie and squash soups on Pinterest and in the blog world, they have looked more and more delicious. (Hopefully if I get that blender I want for Christmas, I might try my hand at one…). Anyway, this soup is just a light “Asian” inspired veggie and split pea soup. It is super healthy and has a lovely flavor I attribute to the Artichokes and Shiitakes. The Shiitakes scared me at first when I was chopping them up since I had no idea how they would actually taste and come out once they were re-hydrated again. They also had this unique smell. It wasn’t bad, it was interesting…I kind of liked it 😉 But best of all, the soup came out perfect! This is a great first time dried-mushroom-user recipe. So give it a try and let me know your thoughts!Read More

Comforting Veggie Bean Chili

October 2, 2013 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 35 Comments

Not only have I been craving Pumpkin, Apples, Cinnamon, and Roasted Everything, but I have also been craving/needing something that is warm, comforting, and that you can eat with a spoon in a bowl, for days on end. That’s when I realized I needed some chili in my life ASAP. After a long day of freezing in school (I am telling you the classrooms are like 40 degrees and then some kid comes strolling in, declares they are so hot, opens all the windows and turns the fans on. I can’t take it. I have to learn in the Arctic). So when I get home I want something that will warm me up for dinner, get the chill out of my bones. So I made a huge pot of Veggie Bean Chili to savor and enjoy over the week. And you know what? It did the trick. Comfort in a bowl. Slightly spicy, full of veggies and two types of beans. I added some crunch my eating mine with some left over corn tortillas form my Savory Pumpkin Lentil Tacos!

Making chili, soup, or a stew isn’t just about a great warming meal. I always feel a little nostalgic when I make a big pot of soup. It always bring me back to the first time I ever cooked anything, which happened to be soup. I was probably like 6 or 7, I don’t remember the exact age, but I was young. It was the weekend so my dad was home and we started looking through some old recipes we found in the kitchen for something to make for dinner. But then we decided to just wing it and go to the grocery to pick up ingredients for a soup. We ended up buying a huge mish-mosh of every veggie you could possibly think of for a wonderful vegetable soup. (I am so made that I never wrote the list of ingredients done…) Even though we just through everything together it came out lovely. Family + Love + Veggies + Hot Soup = Amazing. From that day and that soup forward I would always bug my dad to cook with me, until I began cooking completely on my own. That day I learned of my love of cooking and have never looked back since! With cooking, especially soups, you can never get it wrong. It is a time for creativity and invention and a way to bring out your true personality through the flavors you create.

Comforting Veggie Bean Chili