Did you, like many of us, over indulge a bit over the holidays? Feel the need for a reboot with a clean eating detox?

I know that sometimes the temptation in January is to go the extreme with a juice cleanse or a super strict diet plan, and while those can have their time and place, they can also be incredibly hard to stick with and therefore many people get frustrated and go back to lousy eating habits again.  In my opinion the best, and most sustainable, reset you can do is pack your diet with fresh vegetables and cut out the things that are triggers for you. For me it is sugar and wine, for someone else it might be bread and and potato chips.

This soup is great for this time of year because it is easy, healthy, warming and satisfying.  The recipe itself is incredibly simple, but you could definitley punch it up with different spices if you like e.g., cumin, fresh ginger or a pinch of cayenne would be a good combo. Also if you want to up your greens intake feel free to throw in a couple of handfuls  of spinach at the end.

Detox Carrot Soup

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 6 carrots peeled and chopped
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 potatoes peeled and diced
• 4 C vegetable stock
• 1/2-1 1/2 tsp salt
• Black pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium low heat.  Add carrots, garlic and onion and cook for 5 minutes.  Stir in the potatoes, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 5 minutes.  Pour in broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat , cover, and allow soup to simmer for 20-25 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Allow soup to cool a bit and then puree in batches in a blender.  Reheat, season with salt and pepper (depending on the vegetable broth you use you may need a little, or a lot, of salt) and serve.  Top with vegan sour cream and green onions if desired.

Enjoy!

– Kirsten