The idea for this detox vegetable purée started from a recipe I read on a Weight Watchers forum, which I then adapted. The original recipe included bouillon cubes, which I removed because I only use them rarely—they’re full of salt and preservatives and aren’t ideal natural ingredients for detox. Vegetables already have their own flavor; why alter them, especially if you want to purify yourself?
So all this explanation to tell you I used Indian spices to give an extra touch of flavor. The vegetables I used for this detox vegetable purée are all rich in vitamins and fiber, help to lower cholesterol, are diuretic and excellent for cleansing the intestines. I could go on because these four ingredients truly have many beneficial properties.
And the spices: they’re not mandatory—this purée will offer its benefits even without the Indian spices I used, or with only some of them. That said, turmeric is now well known for improving stomach and intestinal function and for aiding the elimination of excess fat. In short, this is a mix of ingredients perfect for a diet, especially after binging during the holidays, but since the result is so delicious… well, you can’t really call it a diet!
Other light and tasty soups:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Cooking time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 3
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
As an alternative to the oriental spices, you can use any type you prefer.
- 1 onion
- 11 oz potatoes
- 2 carrots
- 1 leek
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp paprika powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- to taste water
- to taste salt
- Points per serving = 2 WW points
Tools
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Vegetable peeler
- Potato peeler
- Immersion blender
Steps
First, prepare the vegetables: peel the onion, potatoes and carrots and cut everything into pieces. For the leek, be sure to use the green part as well: remove only the toughest ends, wash well between the layers (there’s often a lot of dirt hiding there) and slice it.
Place the vegetables in a large pot and add the spices. Pour in water until it almost covers the vegetables but without submerging them completely.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and let simmer for about 40 minutes to an hour, until the vegetables are well cooked.
Use an immersion blender to reduce the vegetables to a smooth purée. If the purée is too thick, add a little water. Now you can also add a bit of salt to taste, but avoid adding too much both to not mask the natural flavor of the ingredients and because too much salt certainly doesn’t help with detox.
And here’s a detox vegetable purée post-binge that certainly won’t envy the more caloric cream soups! It’s truly delicious: it was very well received at my home. I had set aside a few carrot and leek slices before using the immersion blender to decorate the bowl:
With these colors it’s perfect to brighten winter days and warm up with taste and lightness! Serve with a sprinkle of turmeric or some hot chili pepper for that extra kick…
Enjoy your meal everyone!
by Giovanna Buono
Storage and Notes
You can prepare this vegetable purée in advance and keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze it and it will last at least 4 months.
If you want to do a full day of detox, here are guidelines on what to eat and what to avoid: Detox menu post-binge. For those who want to detox with taste!
Can I use other vegetables?
Of course you can, but I suggest trying it exactly as written first. People often ask how to replace the leek; in that case, add two extra onions!
Can I use different spices?
Certainly, choose them to your taste. But in my opinion you’ll miss the distinctive flavor of this purée…
What protein can I add to make this a complete meal?
The answer is simple: cooked legumes added to the pot together with the vegetables.
