Winter Detox Soup

*This Winter Detox Soup is filled with hearty brown rice, filling garbanzo beans, and all of my favorite winter vegetables. It’s so simple, wholesome, and nourishing!*

Wow, can you say sugahhh overload? I know that December is meant to be a time to enjoy the holidays and the sweets, treats, and chocolate that comes with them, but boy, do I feel like I’ve eaten a lot of sugar recently. Because it seems that I’ve just posted so. many. sugary. things. in the past month. Add in all of those delicious desserts when I was home for Christmas… and honestly? I think that it’s time for a little detox.

I’m not normally one to abide by any strict or regimented diets or eating plans. I try to simply listen to my body, and eat whatever I’m craving and feel will nourish and satisfy me the most. Normally, this results in a nice balance of, yes, plenty of sweet treats, but also lots of greens, roasted veggies, and fresh, seasonal fruit. Oh yes, I do love my fruit. So when my body tells me that it’s been served just a little too much sugar, the solution is easy: simply load up on more of those hearty, healthy superfoods! This doesn’t mean that I’m cutting out sugar – in fact, knowing me, I’ll probably still eat dessert tonight. 😉 It just means that I’m focusing on the wholesome stuff for a little while.

And what could possibly be more wholesome than this soup, loaded with all the winter veggies? I love making a big pot of soup in the winter because it makes the whole house smell delicious and inviting, and it lasts for many dinners to come. This soup started with a flavorful vegetable broth, to which I added pretty much all of the produce I could find at the farmer’s market. Think onions, carrots, celery, sweet potatoes, and kale. I threw in some hearty brown rice and filling garbanzo beans, and finished everything off with my favorite savory herbs. Whether or not you, too, are looking for a little reset after one too many of the holiday cookies, I promise that this soup is delicious and as nourishing as could be. I hope you love it!

Winter Detox Soup

Servings: 8
Difficulty: Easy
Print

This Winter Detox Soup is filled with hearty brown rice, filling garbanzo beans, and all of my favorite winter vegetables. It's so simple, wholesome, and nourishing!

Herbes de Provence is a dried herb mixture usually containing thyme, oregano, rosemary, and other herbs. If you can’t find it, feel free to substitute oregano.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 carrots
2 stalks celery
1 potato
1 sweet potato
1 quart vegetable broth
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 cup brown rice
1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 can garbanzo beans
1 head kale
juice of 2 lemons

Directions

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
Peel and dice the onion.
Add chopped onion to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly browned, about five minutes.
Peel and finely mince the garlic cloves. Reduce heat to medium, then add garlic to onions and cook a few minutes longer.
Wash and dry the carrots, celery, potato, and sweet potato. Dice them all into small chunks.
Add the diced vegetables to the pot and cook until slightly softened, about ten minutes.
Add vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, rice, herbes de Provence, salt, and pepper to the pot.
Raise heat to medium-high. Let liquid come to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring regularly, until veggies are softened and rice is cooked through, about forty five minutes.
Meanwhile, rinse garbanzo beans.
Wash and dry kale leaves, then remove leaves from the stem and roughly chop them.
Add garbanzo beans, kale, and lemon juice to the pot. Let cook until kale is wilted and everything is warmed through, about five more minutes.

The Millennial Cook