This month I’m offering you some delicious Smart Fat soups to fit all seasons. Next month we’ll finish our Smart Fat Book of Recipes, with salad dressings and desserts.

Velvety Borscht

Makes 6 servings

• 6 large whole beets, peeled
• 3 large whole carrots, peeled
• 4 tablespoons avocado oil
• 8 cups filtered water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons light miso
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Place beets, carrots and water in a soup pot and bring to a boil.

Let simmer until vegetables are soft. Remove beets and carrots from water and cut into small pieces, reserving cooking liquid.

Place vegetables and liquid in a blender or food processor with miso, avocado oil, cayenne and apple cider vinegar. Blend until smooth, then chill.

Gazpacho

Makes 4 servings

• 4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
• 1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 green pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup ice water
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or parsley

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth and serve in chilled bowls.

Ratatouille

Makes 4 11/2-cup servings

• 4 tablespoons avocado oil
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 eggplant, unpeeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 zucchini, cut into ¼-inch rounds
• 3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

In a large covered saucepan, sauté onion and green pepper in avocado oil until lightly browned. Add eggplant and zucchini. Cook until tender. Add tomatoes, salt, basil and oregano. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, 35 to 40 minutes. Add garlic and cook uncovered 10 minutes.

Sweet & Zesty Carrot Soup

Makes 4 servings

• 3 tablespoons avocado oil
• 1 large sweet yellow onion, chopped
• 1 pound carrots, chopped
• 1 apple, cored and chopped
• 1 can full-fat coconut milk
• 1/4 cup fresh grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• fresh c
  racked pepper, chopped chives and full-fat sour cream for garnish

Sauté onion in avocado oil until translucent. Add carrots and apple and sauté lightly. Add coconut milk and bring to boil, stirring in ginger and turmeric. Transfer to blend and whip until smooth.

Garnish with pepper, chives, and sour cream before serving.

Thai Chicken Soup

Makes 4 servings

• 1 pound cooked chicken, chopped
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 8 ounces shitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon curry
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 3 cups chicken bone broth
• 1 can full-fat coconut milk
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Heat coconut oil over medium and saute mushrooms and peppers.

Add ginger, garlic, curry, and turmeric to the oil and stir until it creates a fragrant paste, 30 to 60 seconds.

Increase heat to medium-high and pour in broth and coconut milk. Stir in lime juice and sesame oil. When the soup comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low. Whisk in peanut butter until completely mixed, then add chicken. Reduce heat to low. Add half of the green onions and cilantro to the soup and stir.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls, and divide the remaining green onions and cilantro, plus the chopped peanuts, among the bowls.

Non-Dairy Cream of Mushroom Soup

Makes 4 servings

• 1/2 cup soaked cashews
• 3 cups vegetable broth brought just to a boil
• 2 tablespoons macadamia nut oil
• 1 large leek, chopped
• 1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried dill
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• Dash of cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Process cashews in a blender until finely ground. Scrape bottom of blender and grind again. Add one cup of the broth and process for 30 seconds. Add remaining broth and process for 30 more seconds. Heat oil in a three-quart saucepan over medium heat.

Add leeks and cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms and cook for about 10 minutes until softened. Stir in cumin, salt, dill and cayenne. Stir in the cashew mixture and cook, stirring often, for 15 minutes or until hot and thickened. Stir in lemon juice just before serving.

Roasted Chestnut Soup

Makes 6 - 8 servings
This elegant soup is easy and makes a beautiful first course presentation for a special meal. You can buy bottled or packaged roasted chestnuts if you donft have time to roast your own. Just pop them in the oven for 15 minutes at 400 degrees to bring out the fresh roasted flavor.

• 1 tablespoon macadamia nut oil
• 3 cups roasted chestnuts
• 2 cups shallots, chopped
• 3/4 cup carrots, sliced
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/3 cup heavy whipped cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Heat Dutch oven or large heavy sauce pan on medium. Add macadamia nut oil, shallots and carrots to pan. Saute until veggies are tender. Stir in chestnuts and chicken stock. Process in batches in blender until smooth. Add back to pan. Stir in sea salt and cayenne.

Simmer for 20 minutes. While soup is simmering, beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. Add a pinch of sea salt and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Ladle about one cup of soup into serving bowls. Top each serving with a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves.

Bok Choy Bean Soup

Makes 4 servings

• 1/2 cup red-lentil flour
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 2 small turnips, cubed
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 1 cup bok choy, chopped (reserve the greens)
• 1/2 cup leeks, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/2 cup beet greens, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground dried rosemary
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne

In a large sauce pan, combine lentil flour, chicken stock, and turnips over medium-high heat and stir occasionally. Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet on low. Add the bok choy and leeks. Cook for about 10 minutes until tender. Add garlic and cook for two more minutes. Add to the turnip mixture in the sauce pan. Stir in the bok choy greens, beet greens, lemon juice, sea salt, rosemary and cayenne. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Roasted Sweet Potato & Lamb Stew

Makes 4 servings

• 4 medium sized sweet potatoes
• 1 pound ground lamb
• 1 cup chopped scallions
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 carrots, cut into chunks
• 4 celery ribs, cut into 1" pieces
• 2 parsnips, cut into 1" pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon dried crushed rosemary
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsly

Wash and rinse sweet potatoes. Place in baking pan and roast in oven at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until soft all the way through. Pat the lamb into a square about a half inch thick on a sheet of waxed paper. Cut into 1" cubes and brown in a large sauce pan or Dutch oven.

Drain fat. Add scallions and garlic and cook until just tender.

Add carrots, celery, parsnips, salt and rosemary. Cover and cook for 15 minutes until the veggies are tender. Place about 1 1/2 cups of the cooked vegetables in a blender and process until smooth. Stir it back into the stew and cook for about 10 minutes or until thickened. Place roasted sweet potatoes on plates. Slit each potato open and fluff with a fork. Ladle stew over the sweet potatoes and top each with a dollop of sour cream.