Moroccan Spiced Turnip Soup

   This recipe is a total Ugly Duckling. It's not pretty what-so-ever but it has Ahhhh-mazing flavor. If you've never tried turnips before or aren't that big of a fan of them to begin with, this recipe is sure to win you over. I've had some success with roasting turnips, or pairing them with rosemary and thyme in recipes, but I never quite thought about using Middle Eastern flavor on them before. And now I probably won't ever try them any other way.

   Initially I made this recipe using  pre-mixed Moroccan spice. But in the true spirit of making food from scratch, I decided to create my own instead. Needless to say you can go either route, but you would need to use about 1-2 tsp of the ready made spice instead of mine below. Since I included crushed red pepper in my recipe, you can either omit it or add it to give the soup extra heat.

   Which by the way, this whole hot soup in ridiculously hot weather thing does not follow Ayurvedic principles. But regardless, it's still a bada$$ recipe.


Recipe:

4 Turnips, peeled and diced
1/2 large Vidalia onion (or 1 small)
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp. unrefined coconut oil
2 cups no salt added vegetable stock
2 cups filtered water
1 handful fresh chives (may omit)
1/2 tsp sea salt

Spice Mixture:

1/8 tsp Cumin
1/8 tsp Coriander
1/8 tsp Ginger
1/8 tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Crushed Red pepper
1/8 tsp Cracked Black Pepper
1/8 tsp Paprika
1/8 tsp Turmeric
1/8 Cardamom

Directions:

1.) In a stock pot, sauté onions, garlic, and turnips in coconut oil for several minutes until turnips start to become slightly soft.

2.) Add in sea salt and sauté for a few more minutes.

3.) Add in stock and water. Bring soup to a boil and then simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes.

4.) Transfer soup mixture to a high powered blender. Add in chives and spice mixture. Blend well. Soup will be thin, so feel free to serve with an all-natural or gluten free bread.