Okay, so I’m a hippie-girl at heart. I’ve got flowers in my hair, organic kale in my garden and I’m ready for a revolution. A new, old-school food revolution. Jamie started it and Diane at The W.H.O.L.E. Gang is helping him spread it across the blogosphere. At last count there were well over a half a million people who had signed Jamie’s pledge to shift from processed food to whole, fresh food. I’d say he’s got his revolution going!
Diane has put together her own version of this revolution — 30 days, 30 different food blogs, 30 ways to eat real food. Check here for details. Today’s my day to share tips for eating healthy and finding delight in thriving on wholesome food. Check out my guest post (8 steps to “revolutionary” transformation and maybe even enlightenment) at The W.H.O.L.E. Gang.
“Be at least as interested in what goes on inside you as what happens outside. If you get the inside right, the outside will fall into place.”
— Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
Leek and Potato Soup from Jamie’s Food Revolution Cookbook
I was inspired by the recipe, rather than ruled by it, so I added beet greens.
serves 6-8
what you need
2 carrots / 2 celery stalks / 2 small onions / 1 pound leeks / 2 cloves garlic / 1 & 3/4 quarts chicken or vegetable broth, preferably organic / 1 pound potatoes / olive oil / sea salt and freshly ground pepper / maybe some greens (my addition)
what you do
Peel and roughly chop the carrots. Slice the celery. Peel anc roughly chop the onions. Cut the ends off the leeks, quarter them lengthways, wash them under running water, and cut them into ¼ inch slices. Peel and mince garlic. Put the broth in a sauce pan and heat until boiling. Place a large saucepan on medium/high heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add all your chopped and sliced ingredients and mix together with a wooden spoon. Cook for around 10 minutes with the lid askew, until the carrots have softened, but are still holding their shape, and the onion and leeks are lightly golden. Peel the potatoes and cut them into ¼ inch dice. Add the boiling broth to the vegetables. Add your potatoes. Give the soup a good stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer with the lid on.
to serve your soup
Remove the pot from the heat. Season with salt and pepper. Serve like this or pulse until smooth using an immersion blender. Tip with some crumbled cheese or roasted sunflower seeds if you’d like.
* I added washed and chopped beet greens at the end and simmered the soup for another few minutes to cook the greens.
nutrition notes on fresh, whole, organic foods used in the recipe
Leeks are related to onions and garlic and have anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Leeks also contain a protective flavonol (with an “o” – chemically different from flavanols with an “a”) called kaempferol, which is anti-carcenogenic. Research (the real thing) indicates that leeks provide antioxidant protection and may have some wonderful cancer-fighting properties.
Potatoes are a healthy low calorie, nutrient-dense food if they haven’t been soaked in oil (think French fries) or smothered in sour cream and bacon bits. They’re high in vitamin B6, which is being studied for its ability to activate tumor-suppression genes. Rich in antioxidants, folic acid, fiber, and other health promoting substances, potatoes also have a detoxifying effect on the body. Choose organic as potatoes are part of the Environmental Working Group’s dirty dozen (highest in pesticides).
Beet greens are low calorie, nutrient-dense and anti-inflammatory. They’re packed with vitamins A, C, and K and are rich in magnesium, potassium, manganese, iron and calcium. Don’t throw the greens away, add them to soups or sauté them like you would spinach or other greens. Seriously, beet greens are what Hippocrates was talking about when he said, “let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
Go forth and start your own personal food revolution!
Melissa
mmmm! i love potato-leek soup but usually it’s got a ton of cream in it, so i feel so excited this recipe is dairy free! interesting idea to use carrots in there…they must sweeten it up nicely. and of course, adding the greens at the end is just a touch of genius, melissa! my only “issue” with leeks is removing all the specks of dirt i find stuck in the base of each leaf. does quartering the stalks as suggested in this recipe help ease that chore?
Like Diane, I’m excited this delicious recipe is dairy free, too. But, I know you don’t often use dairy. Thanks so much for the inspiration, Melissa! Being a hippie girl when you are doing/eating this kind of stuff is the best thing in the world! 🙂
Thank you, my dear!!!
Shirley
Hey Melissa (arms waving wildly)! I know it’s been a while, but we’ve missed you 🙂
Always so happy to see beet greens popping up in a recipe! We always buy our beets witht he greens intact! They’re not only some of our favorite greens, but they pack a nice little nutritional punch. Always a shame when people let them go to waste!
oooh YUM! I love potato and leek soup. One of my favs. Not to mention my soft spot for beet greens. Is it bad that I prefer the greens over the beets themselves?
Love the nutrition breakdown of the ingredients. As always, it is so nice to learn something new about the food that nourishes us.
ps- I love what Diane is doing with the Food Revolution campaign.
Mmmmm, beet greens. You’re a girl after my own heart.
Melissa,
‘I’ve got flowers in my hair’ ….. dread to think what’s in my hair, I’ve been gardening and unblocking my temperamental sewage system 🙂 Time for a nettle tea and a little relaxation!
Cid
Diana,
Yes, quarter the stalks and clean out all those little crevices, otherwise (as you know, being a farm fresh girl) you end up with dirt soup. Not bad if the dirt’s organic and you’re okay with grit in your soup.
🙂
Thanks sweet friend. I appreciate your comments.
xo
Shirley,
Well, you appear to have some hippie strains in your family so you probably relate to all this just fine.
I’m not into soups made with cream so blending up healthy imposters is always on my mind.
You’re welcome!
Lo (responding by equally wild arm waving) — it’s so nice to “see” you! Thanks for stopping by. Yes, I love beet greens and always have. I like their texture. Not as “rubber-glovey” as collard greens!
Stephanie,
Thanks for your comment. I really appreciate is as I know how busy you’ve been lately! Yes, Diane’s done an amazing job with this food revolution of hers!
Alta,
And you’re a girl after my own heart!
Cid,
I’m sure by now, whatever twigs and branches were in your hair are gone and you’re well rested and feeling revived after your nettle tea. Right?
No?
Well, if nothing else, I hope that pesky sewage system has quit giving you trouble. Can I offer you a macaroon and a dainty glass of sweet, white Bordeaux?
Melissa,
You may rest assured the Victorian sewage systems in my part of the Shire are functioning satisfactorily… for the time being at least. Perhaps I was a plumber in a former life 🙂
Yes to the macaroon and wine!
Cid
Cid,
Well, if you were a plumber in a former life, I’m sure you were a very exotic and mysterious one!
One of these days I will take advantage of those low airline fares and come for one of your famous macaroons. Followed by dinner at Table #5, unless we’re forced to move to Table #6. Or a table in the utility room or the kitchen. Now that I think of it, It might be a night to remember if we had that handsome crew of Miles’ cater directly to us.
Hmmmm? This might be worth scheming about. We do have our own plates.
🙂
Melissa
Melissa - HA! “Rubber glovey” — that’s a good way to describe collards, though I enjoy them just the same. Maybe not as much as beet greens, though… did you know we took the GF Challenge this past weekend?? Wild and eye-opening. Definitely changed our perspectives.
Lo,
So glad you’re tip-toeing into GF territory. You have such a wonderful blog, you should highlight your GF recipes. I’ve gotten lots of good stuff from you, all of it GF without you even knowing it!
Thanks for the comment.
xo