Beautiful Root Soup

I was tempted to call today's recipe "beet soup", but the truth is that when I make this it doesn't always contain beets. I love recipes that are adaptable; my husbands favorite version of this recipe could easily be called "carrot soup" as I exchange the beets out for carrots. I however like to color the beets give, and I like using up all the extra beets I have! This recipe cleans out the bottom drawer of my fridge and helps me use up sweet potato scraps I have from making "noodles" (see picture). I've done many variations and I always get a thick, creamy, and satisfying soup. Enjoy!

Leftover from making sweet potato noodles

Beautiful Root Soup

Gluten Free, Vegan*

Makes 4-6 Cups (depending on preferred thickness)

3 cups 1/4 inch chopped carrots (about 6 medium)
1 heaping cup 1/4 inch peeled and chopped sweet potato (about 1 small)
1 cup 1/4 inch chopped beets (about 2 medium)
2 tbl coconut oil (or sautéing oil of choice)
4 chopped green onions or 1 tsp onion powder
About 4 cups of stock (vegetable, chicken, or beef)
1 palm length piece of turmeric root (see picture) or 2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garlic powder or 2 fresh garlic cloves
salt and pepper to taste (I do a teaspoon each)
2 tbl coconut butter or pastured butter or olive oil

Fresh turmeric

1. Heat a few tablespoons of coconut oil over medium heat in a cooking pot.
2. Rinse your carrots, beets, and peeled sweet potato and roughly chop. Add them to a pot and stir.
3. Cook the veggies for about 10 minutes until they begin to soften. You can add a little stock if they start burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan. I freeze stock in an ice cube tray and just add a few cubes in as needed.
4. Once the veggies are tender enough to be pierced with a fork add the onions, turmeric (no need to chop), and other spices. Cover with the stock and then bring it to a boil and then turn it off.
5. Let the soup cool some and then add it to a blender with the coconut butter (if you have a small blender then work in batches). Puree until smooth, adding more stock or water if needed. Be careful if your soup is still hot as blending hot liquids causes a lot of steam.
6. The soup can be reheated in the pot or stored for several days in the fridge or frozen.

Notes and Substitutions

• This soup will thicken if it is stored in the fridge but will re-liquify when heated. You can always add a little stock or water.
• I prefer this soup made with beef bone broth but chicken and vegetable are great too. I think you could probably use water but you may want to include more herbs and spices for flavor.
• *To make this soup vegan use vegetable stock (check the ingredients label if its not homemade) and use coconut butter or olive oil. 

This recipe is very adaptable and (as you can tell by the ingredients) you don't need to be to0 exact. I regularly change it up. Please let me know in the comments sections about any changes you make and how they came out!

Do you have any recipes to help clean your fridge out?