Creamy Greens & Coconut Soup

Do you love creamy soups? I do! They are so easy for a newborn mother’s depleted digestive system to manage. This silky green soup is very high in iron and magnesium, thanks to the kale and spinach. It’s the ideal vitamin-dense combo for supporting your uterus and perineum to heal after childbirth.

This recipe has a lot of flexibility for improvisation. Don’t have any spinach? Just use more kale! Don’t like garlic? Leave it out! Can’t be bothered to chop sweet potato? Don’t bother! (Although the sweet potato contributes to the sweet, full-bodied flavour, so the soup will have a slightly greener flavour without it.)

You will need a stick blender or food processor for this recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 small onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 large sweet potato, diced
• 1 large bunch kale, roughly chopped
• around 4 cups of water
• 500 grams spinach
• a generous pinch of sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1 tin of coconut cream

Method

• Heat a splash of oil in a big pot.
• Saute the onion for 5 minutes until it’s translucent.
• Add the garlic, sweet potato, and kale, then pour in the water. (You may need more or less water if you’ve modified the amount of other ingredients.)
• Bring to a simmer and cook for around 20 minutes, until the sweet potatoes have softened.
• Stir in the spinach and cook another minute or so until the spinach is wilted.
• Season with salt & nutmeg, add the coconut cream, and puree the soup until very smooth and creamy.
• The soup is ready to eat! Serve immediately or store in the fridge for later.

Creamy soups like this one are just begging for creative garnishes. I happened to be making roasted sweet potato cubes last time I made this soup, so I added a handful – soooo tasty! I also added a sprinkling of chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts and fresh coriander leaves. You could also throw in some dried cranberries, slivered almonds, or parsley.

This is a wonderful soup to ask a friend or relative to make for you, and to enjoy together while your newborn baby snoozes.

Antonia

When women are nourished and nurtured after giving birth, they feel calm, connected and confident. My passion is to provide this high level of postnatal support to women in Canberra and worldwide. I guide expectant parents to create a vision for life with baby, and give them the practical tools to make their vision a reality.