The challenge this week from @eco-alex [The Medicinal Gourmet Cooking Collective ](The Medicinal Gourmet Cooking Collective:) is to focus on cooking for the stomach and spleen using a recipe that helps digestion health.

Yellow & Sweet

I really don't know much about the spleen so this challenge was really educational.

Did you know that chewing is necessary for the functioning of the Spleen and if the Spleen is deficient, the sense of taste may be dulled? Red, moist and vibrant lips indicate a healthy Spleen. If the Spleen is deficient, however, the lips will be pale from lack of nourishment. source

To help the stomach and spleen I chose a recipe that is very simple in it's ingredients. I read that it can be a good idea to give these hard working organs a break once in a while. You can do this by preparing healthy meals that contain few ingredients and are not overly spicy. It is also beneficial to eat warm food and avoid ice cold drinks.

I decided to make a carrot ginger soup, something that I haven't had in a long while. My husband strongly dislikes carrot soup but he is travelling and I only have myself to feed. To be honest, I wouldn't have gotten around to cooking anything today were it not for my commitment to participate in this challenge. My stomach is extra appreciative.

When it comes to digestive health carrots are a great option because they are high in dietary fibre not to mention they are usually sweet and the colour is so gorgeous! Ginger is famous for it's potent health benefits including aiding in digestion and stomach upset and turmeric is also excellent for digestive health.

Carrot Ginger Soup

I decided to make this recipe less spicy than usual by reducing the amount of ginger that I would normally use. You can reduce the ginger even more or remove it entirely if you would like.

Ingredients

• 2lbs Organic carrots (10-12) scrubbed and roughly chopped (peeled if not organic).
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 Tbsp Fresh ginger, peeled & chopped
• Coconut oil
• Pinch of salt + pepper + turmeric to taste

Directions

• Sauté the carrots, onion & ginger in coconut oil, over medium-low heat until softened (about 8-10 minutes). You want to soften and build flavour without browning so do it low and slow.

• Add the cooked vegetables, a pinch of seasoning if desired and stock to your blender and mix until smooth. Don't add all of the stock at once. You might need more or less that the recipe calls for depending on how thick you like your soup to be. Taste and add additional seasoning if desired.

• Pour into bowls or cups, garnish with some garden fresh peas or corn or grated beets and enjoy!

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[@walkerland ]
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