If you love my other detox soup recipes, you are going to fall hard for this summer version with tons of fresh garden vegetables and anti-inflammatory turmeric. It’s perfect for days when your liver or digestive system needs a little downtime.
After taking 3 years off the wedding circuit, my first one back for the summer season really took a toll on my body. This whole past week, I felt like I needed soothing foods for my digestive system and to take a break from the usual irritants that had gotten my liver into a tizzy in the first place (ahem, sugar caffeine and alcohol!).
Unfortunately, it now being 80 degrees outside, I realized that most of my usual go to detox recipes are on the warming winter side (like this healing kitchari recipe or this butterless butter chicken) and would not cut it.
Enter: this summer detox soup that’s packed with zucchini, yellow squash and bell peppers.
This low FODMAP detox soup recipe is kind of a hybrid adaptation of the summer squash moqueca from my book, SIBO Made Simple, and the summer squash chowder from my Summer Reset elimination diet meal plan. Both use a little coconut milk and paprika to create a creamy base. Since this is a detox recipe and some people find coconut irritating, I made it optional here.
So what makes this soup a detox recipe?
Whenever I’m designing a detox recipe or something for an elimination diet, I keep in mind a few elements.
First, the dish should have as many nutrient dense plants as possible. The more colorful, the better, as that’s a good indication of the antioxidant variety a vegetable contains. In this case, we have greens (zucchini, cilantro), yellows (squash, peppers), and oranges (turmeric, carrots and bell peppers).
The second, which for gut folks is equally important, is that those plants need to be as easy to digest as possible. That means warm, cooked or pureed. So while I don’t always love piping hot rich stews in summer, drinking this soup at least at room temperature or warm helps support a stagnant digestive system and wakes it up.
Finally, I like to add anti-inflammatory herbs like turmeric and chelating agents like cilantro. The former helps calm the digestive system and repair any gut damage. The latter helps the liver get back on track.
In addition to being low FODMAP adaptable, this recipe is also gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and vegetarian. This means we are sticking with mononutrients, which is easier on the digestion than having to process starch and animal protein at the same time. And we avoid some potential irritants like dairy and grains.
If you’re looking to give your system a more robust detox, I also recommend swapping your coffee with some of these caffeine-free coffee alternatives, focusing on sugar-free snacks, adding in digestive enzymes, and checking out some of these other tips for how to detox your liver naturally.
Read on for this summer detox soup recipe to get your liver ready for bikini season!
With health and hedonism,
Phoebe
Summer Detox Soup (Vegan, Low FODMAP Optional)
This soothing vegetable detox soup is creamy yet light. You puree half of the vegetables to get some body, along with a little coconut cream. Some people don’t tolerate coconut milk or cream well, so feel free to omit if you fall into that camp. You can sub 1 cup almond or oat milk, or simply use a very flavorful stock or broth. For Low FODMAP folks: use only green scallions and LF stock.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive or coconut oil
- 2 medium yellow or orange bell peppers finely diced
- 2 medium carrots finely diced
- 4 scallions or spring onions white and green parts separated, thinly sliced
- 2 medium zucchini 3/4 pound, finely diced
- 2 medium summer squash 3/4 pound, finely diced
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- One 5.4 ounce can coconut cream optional, see note
- 1 quart vegetable or chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
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In a large Dutch oven or saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper, carrot and white scallions, if using. Sauté for 7 to 10 minutes, or until starting to brown and caramelize. Stir in the zucchini, summer squash, paprika and turmeric. Cook for 4 minutes more, until very fragrant and starting to soften.
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Pour in the coconut cream (if using), stock, and salt, scraping up any brown bits that may have formed on the bottom of the pan. Simmer rapidly over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until the squash is fork tender but not too mushy. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice and half the cilantro.
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With an immersion blender or stand blender, puree half of the soup, making sure there are still plenty of chunks to make it chowder-like. Garnish with the remaining cilantro and enjoy.
If you make this, tag @phoebelapine and #feedmephoebe – I’d love to see it!
Creamy and light, this comforting vegetable detox soup. To give the dish substance, you purée half of the vegetables and add some coconut cream.