Welcome to my winter kitchen, friends!

The day has finally come where I turn into one of “those” food bloggers who shares some long story about a loosely related experience with sweet potatoes before actually getting to what the people want… the recipe!

Just kidding – I’ll spare ya.

This fall and winter season have been so nurturing – since moving into my little beach cottage, I’ve rediscovered my beloved creative joy for cooking and have been whipping up a storm over here!

It has actually been quite therapeutic for me to make my meals from beginning to end. Peeling, slicing, chopping, mixing — in every moment I’m present, infusing my food with loving energy that nourishes my body and every other belly I feed.

It’s one thing to go “all-out” and cook for a gathering or dinner party, but making these elaborate meals just for me has been SOUL nourishing – on every level. It’s an act of reverence, appreciation, and honor to treat my body with such intention and love.

I’ve been sharing photos of the yummy soups I’ve been creating on my Instagram over the last couple of months, and now that I have somewhere to share them…I’m giving my recipes to you!

These are my top 3 soups of the season and my insta-famous apple cinnamon bread. I can’t wait for you to give these yummy babies a try!

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Hearty Sweet Potato, Lentil, and Ginger Soup

I’ll start you off with my #1 soup bae. This is my go-to, signature, warm and cozy winter meal. Honestly, I make this soup at least once a week. Its simple, nutrient dense, and so freaking yummy. I’ve played around with a few variations, but this recipe has fared incredibly well with all of it’s taste testers! Trust me, once you give this soup a try, it’ll be hard to make any others at all!

Ingredients:

2 in. fresh ginger, peeled and minced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

½ White onion, diced

½  cup carrots, chopped (about 2 medium carrots or one large)

1/3 cup celery, chopped (about 2 stalks)

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

1  cup red lentils

4 cups vegetable broth (1 carton)

1 can of coconut milk

1 tbsp ground turmeric

½ tbsp red chili flakes (more if you like it spicy!)

½ tbsp cumin

(Option to swap turmeric & cumin for 1-2 tbsp curry powder if you’re feeling the curry vibe)

For topping:

Cilantro

Green onion

1. In a large pot, heat coconut oil and add garlic, ginger, and onions. Sautee for about 5 mins until fragrant.
2. Add turmeric, chili flakes, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste.
3. Add carrots, celery, and potatoes, Sautee for about 3 minutes, just until all veggies are coated with the spices.
4. Add vegetable broth, coconut milk and lentils to the pot. Bring to a boil
5. Once boiling, bring to medium-low heat and cover. Cook for 20-25 minutes, until lentils and potatoes are cooked all the way through.
6. Add kale, stirring occasionally for 3-5 minutes.
7. Serve and enjoy!

*Optional (and highly recommended): add chopped green onions and cilantro as a topper.

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Warming Ginger, Turmeric, Carrot Soup

We all need a little digestive reset now and then. This ginger, turmeric soup is a simple one that is bursting with flavor. This soup is intended to be blended, so keep that in mind when you’re chopping veggies! The smaller they are, the easier it will be to blend your soup!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp coconut oil

4 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 can coconut milk

3 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1 large piece of fresh ginger, minced (about 2.5 inches, you want this soup to be gingery!)

2 ½ cups carrots, diced

1 ½ cups butternut squash, diced

½ white onion chopped

1 medium sized fennel (click here if you haven’t cooked with fennel before)

½ leek (click here for a how-to on chopping leeks)

2 tbsp ground turmeric (feel free to use fresh turmeric here!)

1 tsp red chili flakes

Salt & Pepper to taste

1. In a large pot, heat coconut oil and sauté the ginger, garlic, and onion for about 5 minutes, until fragrant. Add turmeric and chili flakes.
2. Next, add the squash, carrots, leeks, and fennel to your pot. Salt and pepper to taste. Sautee for 2-3 minutes.
3. Pour in broth and coconut milk and stir
4. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook for 20-25 minutes.
5. Place the soup into a blender or use a hand-held, electric mixer until smooth.
6. Serve immediately and enjoy! PS. This soup is a great one to freeze and save for later if you find yourself with more leftovers than you can eat in a week!

*Option to Serve with fried onions or green onions on top. These fried onions from Trader Joes are always a staple in my pantry.

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Grounding Wild Rice, Mushroom, and Herb Stew

MMMMushrooms are my fave. They’re bursting with flavor and nutrients – so, what’s not to love?! This earthy soup can either be made creamy with coconut milk, or the standard way just using broth (which I actually prefer since it’s already quite rich). I’m calling this a stew because it may resemble a soup when you first make it, but once you let this sit for an hour or two, the rice absorbs a lot of the liquid, making it more solid – like a stew! I’ve used various mushrooms in this one, and I actually love using the smaller mushrooms for this recipe like bushemi or oyster mushrooms. But cremini are the most common, and you can’t go wrong with them here! The old bay seasoning option came from another recipe that I base this one off of, and although its listed as an option…I highly recommend it! Enjoy this earthy wild rice, mushroom, and herb stew!

Ingredients:

3 cloves of garlic

Fresh minced ginger to taste (about 1 inch piece)

½ large, white onion, diced

6 cups vegetable or chicken broth OR 4 cups vegetable broth and one can coconut milk

2/3 cup wild rice

1 ½  cup cremini mushrooms, sliced (or any other mushroom you love)

1 medium sized sweet potato or 2 small, peeled and sliced

1 large carrot, chopped (about ½ cup)

2 stalks of celery, chopped

1 bay leaf

1 tbsp turmeric

½ tbsp red chili flakes

¼  tsp cumin

1/2 tbsp old bay seasoning (optional, but highly recommended!)

A hefty handful of chopped, fresh herbs: rosemary, sage, thyme, and dill.

1 tbsp coconut oil

Fresh chopped kale (optional)

1. In a large pot, heat coconut oil and sauté the ginger, garlic, and onion for about 5 minutes, until fragrant. Add turmeric, cumin, and chili flakes.
2. Next, add carrots, celery, sweet potatoes, and salt and pepper to taste.
3. Pour broth and coconut milk into the pot, add the wild rice and mushrooms.
4. Sprinkle in the herbs and add the bay leaf
5. Bring to a boil, cook, and cover for 30-35 minutes.

*If you want to add the kale, you can do so at the very end. Stirring occasionally for an additional 3 minutes.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

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THE Yummiest Cinnamon Apple Walnut Bread

I LOVE THIS RECIPE. Not only is it simple and made with ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen, it also makes your home smell like a warm, cozy hug! You can play around with the recipe by using whole wheat flour if you’re not GF and make it vegan by subbing the eggs with either flax or vegan egg substitutes. I’ve made it both ways: Vegan & GF and its delicious both ways! But I have to say that I prefer the variation using real eggs.

Ingredients:

1 ¾ cups of whole wheat or GF flour (I recommend using oat flour)

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp of cinnamon

½ tsp baking soda

Pinch of salt

2 cups apples (peeled and chopped into small pieces)

1/3 cup coconut oil or olive oil, melted

¼ – ½ cup of maple sugar, coconut sugar, or honey (depending on how sweet you want it)

2 eggs, room temp if possible (You can also sub with flax eggs or plant based egg substitute*)

½ cup applesauce

¼ cup cashew or coconut yogurt

¼ cup chopped walnuts and/or pecans

1 tsp vanilla extract

This bread is super yummy toasted and served right out of the oven with a little bit of honey spread on top! The only bad thing about this recipe is that, once you try this, you’ll be making it on the regular. Enjoy, my friends!

*Flax egg substitution: 3 tbsp of water and 1 tbsp ground flax meal is equivalent to one egg. In a small bowl, stir water and flax until combined, then place in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes

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I hope you enjoy these staples from my kitchen – I’d love to hear about & see photos of the ones you make at home! Tag me in your posts and stories on instagram so I can drool over your creations: @chelseaadair

PS. Every meal is better when it’s infused with love! Choose your produce, chop your veggies, and cook your food with mindful intention — it makes a world of difference.

With love,

Chelsea