Root Vegetable Soup

This soup delighted me. I've been having too many treats lately, many of them full of heavy nuts. I wanted to give my liver a break and thought some root vegetable would help. Daikon and burdock are great detoxifiers for the liver. I also added maitake mushrooms, which are excellent immune boosters and are said to inhibit or reverse tumor growth.  I have to admit that as I was making it, I thought I was doing something good for my body, but I didn't necessarily think it would be something I'd love to eat. I was wrong! The flavor in this soup was so delicious that it was just as good as a treat. Better, really.  I have to remind myself of this often, given my sweet tooth. Sometimes a really good combination of vegetables is more satisfying than sweet. My mind just tricks me into thinking I want dessert (constantly).  I certainly feel better after eating vegetables. This soup is chock full of them. I didn't even need dessert afterwards. My body thanked me, and I bet it'll do the same for you.

Root Vegetable Soup:
Broth:
3 c. unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 c. liquid coconut aminos
2 limes, seeded
1 T. coconut nectar (optional)
2 stalks lemongrass thinly shaved
1 inch ginger
1/2 jalapeno
1 small clove garlic

Blend all ingredients in a Vitamix. Pour the broth through a nut milk bag* or cheesecloth to strain out the lemongrass and ginger pulp. Blend broth long enough to warm it up.

Vegetables:
2 peeled burdock roots cut on the bias
2 daikon roots cut in half moons
1 yellow bell pepper
1/2 c. thinly sliced green cabbage
1/2 c. sun dried tomatoes
1 c. maitake mushrooms
2 T. almonds

Place all the vegetables in a large bowl. Pour the broth over the vegetables. Serve immediately or warm later in the dehydrator at 118 degrees or lower.

*I make my own nut milk bags out of a very fine tulle mesh. My sister, Mary, taught me this. The material is inexpensive and can be found at any fabric store. Simply sew a small rectangular bag about the size of a large mason jar, leaving one end open. The opening at the top of the bag should be a bit larger than a mason jar. Fold over the top edge and run a seam around it, leaving a small opening to run elastic through the hem.  Run a thin piece of elastic through the hemmed opening and sew in the hem. You now have a nut milk bag that can be used to strain the pulp of your homemade milks, or in this case, strain the pulp from vegetables. These bags are washable and reusable and much easier to use than cheesecloth.