soup

This article was sponsored by R.W. Knudsen; all opinions are my own.

I’m all about pureed soups these days. Is it just me or does EVERYTHING taste better when it’s pureed? I know that might sound crazy but for me, it’s true. When I steam cauliflower or broccoli or zucchini or any other fruit or veggie and I puree it in my blender or food processor, the flavor is like 10x better. Am I the only one that feels this way? I hope not. I hope you’ve all realized at this stage of your life just how delicious it is to eat a pureed soup or smoothie. And if anyone has any idea as to why food tastes better pureed, I’m all ears. It’s quite intriguing.

Today I’m sharing a soup that I made this weekend when I was visiting my family on the shore and it’s super duper easy to make AND super duper easy to digest because it’s pureed, so it’s a win-win. It also has an ingredient that I’m absolutely LOVING lately. I’m sure you’ve all heard me rave over the R.W. Knudsen line of beverages throughout the last year and how much I love them and use them weekly in my home. Well, this soup is made with my FAVORITE flavor by R.W. Knudsen. Their pure, Organic Pear Juice, which is my favorite flavor. I just tasted this juice for the first time last month and I was blown away by the natural flavor and no-added sweeteners, no added-sugar, no preservatives, no artificial colors or anything like that. Just pear juice. That’s all it is. That’s right folks, jussssssssssssst pear juice straight from ripe, organic pears.

Doesn’t get much better than this.

Just wait until you taste this juice. You’re going to be drinking it (and using it in recipes to naturally sweeten up marinades, salad dressings, soups, popsicles and more) all spring and summer. Trust me.

Let me tell you all about this juice and how it fits in your clean eating lifestyle, as well as how I’m learning to dive deeper into myself to continue my healing journey.

soup

Let’s start by talking about this yummy organic pear juice and how easily it fits into any clean eating lifestyle. Now, I’ll admit, I stayed FAR FAR away from any juice the last 10 years on my healing journey. VERY far away. Why? Well, they were all loaded with sugar and fake ingredients that I couldn’t pronounce and they always gave me a headache, made me bloated or just didn’t agree with my body. When I discovered R.W. Knudsen’s line of beverages (from sweet to savory) three years ago, I fell in love with their juices. And as you can tell from the previous handful of recipes I’ve created with their juices, I’m pretty much in love. (Here they are if you’re feeling creative and want to make a few of these):

CIDER POACHED PEARS {GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY-FREE, SOY-FREE, PALEO}

ACORN SQUASH BOWL WITH ‘CREAMY’ CIDER AND SPICE DRESSING {GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY-FREE, SOY-FREE, VEGAN, PALEO}

PERFECTLY ROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH ‘CREAMY’ TOMATO TAHINI SAUCE {GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY-FREE, SOY-FREE, VEGAN}

‘CREAMY’ MAPLE CARROT SAUCE WITH ROASTED VEGGIES {GRAIN-FREE, GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY-FREE, SOY-FREE, VEGAN}

CARROT FENNEL SOUP {GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY-FREE, SOY-FREE, VEGAN, PALEO}

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER AND BEET SALAD WITH ‘CREAMY’ HONEY ALMOND DRESSING {GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY-FREE}

So, what makes them so different from other juices that line the aisles of the food store? A whole lot. That’s for sure. They are the only brand that I can find that isn’t loaded with processed ingredients or added sugar. Like, how hard is it to find a juice without added sugar? Apparently VERY hard. And frustrating for many of you….I know. But, have no fear, Amie’s here, hehe, and this pear juice is going to make your spring/summer feel like you’re basking in the sunshine on a fabulous beach somewhere. Yes, it’s that good. I had my mother, father and sister try it this weekend and they loved it. I served them this soup as an appetizer for dinner on Saturday evening, then I served them a splash of the pear juice in seltzer for evening mocktails (non-alcoholic cocktails) and spritzers and then served them pear juice straight up to drink with breakfast on Sunday morning alongside almond flour waffles. Talk about a refreshing and versatile beverage. Now, this may seem a bit overboard, but I also mixed the pear juice with pure maple syrup and put it on the stove-top to reduce and thicken up the mixture and used this as pancake syrup for the waffles. How’s that for creativity? Not to shabby, right? There are so many ways to use this juice that I could go on and on forever but I want all of you to get a bit creative and have fun with it yourself.

I get my best ideas for creative recipes like these when I’m alone and when I give myself quiet time to let myself just ‘be’ instead of ‘do’ all the time. I’ve found that the ‘doing’ doesn’t get me anywhere and my logical brain (aka our conscious mind) only runs 5% of our day whereas our subconscious mind runs 95% of our day. So, I’ve been learning how to let go more, relax more and get myself into a state that lets me flow with life, instead of pushing to get things done and pushing to figure everything out. In this state, ideas come to you and your life starts to flower more and more. It’s like taking a shower and getting a genius idea or a solution to a problem you have! Because you’re not focused on the solution, you’re relaxed in the shower. See what I mean here? I’ve realized that getting to know myself on a deeper level away from the constant ‘thinking’ mind, is how I’m thriving after all these years of pushing-pushing-pushing to get my body working for me and not against me. And so…

To be yourself, you have to know yourself.

Something that I’ve been realizing throughout the last few months is that you have to be connected to yourself and connected to what you think and feel. I lived the first 30 something years of my life never looking at anything inside of me. My life was lived focused on everything outside of me. I didn’t know any different. No one taught me there was a whole other way to look at life and a whole other way to live life. So, I taught myself how to go deeper beyond just physical symptoms and to really take a hard look at my life, my emotions, my feelings, my past, my relationships, my everything. It takes time to understand these things. It’s taken me almost 4 years of creating more space in my life, getting quiet with myself and listening to myself. To say ‘no’ to the things that don’t feed my soul, to step back and think about how I want to impact the world in a bigger way and leave this planet knowing I gave it everything I had to help others heal and to live each day from a genuine place of happiness and love because to me life’s just too short to be stressed out all day. I’ve learned how to share more of me with all of you and always try to come from the most authentic place I can whether it’s with sharing a recipe or a new product I discovered or a new supplement I’m loving. For me, living from an authentic place means that I always want to trust the decisions I make in my life and to continue to share with you what I’ve learned (and am still learning) along my journey- many things that contradict what we were all brought up thinking ‘health’ was and many things that have blown my mind when I saw drastic improvement in my health and my symptoms disappear. This is why I always share with you what’s working, what’s not working and how I’m breaking through the blocks that have held me back from being healthy for so long. The only way I could do this and continue to do this is to make more space for myself and to get quiet and listen. It’s something I have ALL of my clients do and their whole world flips because it’s a shift in our perception and how we see the world everyday. More on this topic to come soon but I wanted to give you a little glimpse into my life because I love sharing my journey with all of you and hearing from you about how you’re learning to embrace your true selves instead of always doing, doing, doing things that others want you to do. It’s time to take your power back and be in charge of our health and that starts with getting to know yourself on a deeper level. Health is not just about going to a doctor and getting a ‘good report’, there is SO much more, folks. So much more. I’ll be sharing more and more of my journey with you and I hope these posts inspire you to take your health into your own hands, take back your power and realize that you, and ONLY you are in control of your health.

Now, let’s move onto this yummy pear juice and this lovely soup I’ve whipped up for you.

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Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh here it is. A bottle of pure pear heaven. I’m telling you. This juice made my entire spring and I’m using it in my upcoming events and retreats because I’m loving it so much. All real, wholesome flavor. Not that sugary taste that you get from other bottled juice brands that are full of sugar and processed junk that’s super inflammatory in our bodies. Let’s also note how this is a glass bottle (wahoooo for no plastic)! I have spoken about how plastic can be problematic for many health issues in my book, Eating Clean, and here on The Healthy Apple numerous times so many of you know that purchasing juices sold in glass instead of plastic bottles is always a good idea.

juice

soup

For more of my favorites, follow me around my kitchen and Manhattan on facebook, pinterest, instagram, twitter and google plus.

Try to buy everything organic. Here’s why I eat organic: The Benefits of Eating Organic.

Fresh Basil, Pear & Cauliflower Soup {Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Sugar-Free}
Serves: 4
soup
 
Prep
Cook
Total
 
Free of gluten, dairy, soy, corn, eggs, sugar. Paleo, Vegan, Vegetarian.
Author: Amie Valpone
Recipe type: Entree

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Steam the cauliflower florets in a large pot with a steamer basket over medium-high heat. Add 1 inch of water to the bottom of the pot and cover. Steam for 8-10 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender and soft. Remove from the heat, discard any excess water and transfer the cauliflower to a food processor with the remaining ingredients; puree until very smooth, about 8-10 minutes, scraping down the sides every few minutes if needed. This soup is thick so if you'd like a thinner soup, you can use more pear juice, if desired.
  2. Season to taste with more salt, if needed. Pour mixture into four serving bowls and serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts
Fresh Basil, Pear & Cauliflower Soup {Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Sugar-Free}
Amount Per Serving
Calories 154 Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 292mg13%
Potassium 774mg22%
Carbohydrates 21g7%
Fiber 6g25%
Sugar 9g10%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 94IU2%
Vitamin C 101mg122%
Calcium 47mg5%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This post was sponsored by R.W. Knudsen; all opinions are my own.

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