Emerald Mountain Soup
Hey, hey! Happy Memorial Day weekend! I know we are moving into the summer months, but here on our mountain today it is foggy, misty, rainy, and downright chilly. So I decided to make this Emerald Mountain Soup. Some of you may remember this recipe from Helyn’s Kitchen. I called it Green Mountain Soup then, but honestly the color is just so strikingly GREEN that I decided to honor it with the name it deserves… EMERALD.
This soup has TONS of greens and other goodies in it. And there is no hard and fast recipe. Use what you have on hand, what you can find at the market, or what you enjoy. I found some lovely greens at my local farmer’s market this morning. Lucky me!
Be sure to read the NOTES at the bottom of the page. There are some great tips there.
Let’s get to it!
ingredients
1 large bunch (or bag) kale
1 large bunch (or bag) mustard greens
1 bunch bok choy
2 medium zucchinis
1 pound fresh baby spinach
10 oz. artichoke hearts (I find them frozen at either Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods)
1 large leek
3 TBS freshly grated ginger (see notes)
1 large bunch parsley
handful fresh basil
10 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
juice of one lemon
salt to taste (we don’t use a lot of salt, but I sometimes will add some powdered miso or just a little tamari to my bowl. Did you know that miso does not raise blood pressure the same way that salt can? I learned this from Dr. Greger in this video.
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method
Rough- chop all the veggies (see NOTES for an important but optional step)
Add veggies and all other ingredients to a large pot and add enough water to cover.
Add love! ❤️
Simmer until veggies are tender, but don’t overcook! You want to retain that glorious green color.
Blend until you have a chunky consistency but not smooth. You’ll have to do this in batches. Yes, it’s takes a bit of time. Just be Zen about it and enjoy the process. It’s so worth it in the end. You could use an immersion blender! I don’t have one, so I use my Vitamix.
Store in glass jars (see NOTES for helpful tip on storage).
It makes a lot, like I said. I usually get about 4 quart-sized mason jars.
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NOTES
About those chopped veggies. It’s really a good idea, if you have the time or inclination, to BLEND the leek with some of the greens before you cook them. Why? Blending onions and greens helps break down their cell walls. This process increases the availability of beneficial compounds, particularly isothiocyanates, which are known for their cancer-fighting properties. I learned about this from Dr. Joel Fuhrman. Check out his article here for a deep dive into this important step in nutritional excellence.
PLEASE make sure your kale and mustard greens are organic. They have made the top of EWG’s Dirty Dozen list this year, meaning they are loaded with residual pesticides. 😣
Storage tip for soups! Jar you soup while it is still very hot. This will allow the jar to self-seal and keep the soup fresher longer.
I buy ginger in large quantities. I peel it, chop it, toss it in my Vitamix and blend it into a paste. Then I fill ice cube trays with the paste, freeze it, and store the squares in a ziplock bag in the freezer. It’s a great way to always have fresh ginger on hand!
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