Cashew Nut and Spinach Soup

Today's post is written by Jenny Phillips who specialises in supporting cancer patients with diet & lifestyle interventions. She herself recovered from breast cancer 10 years ago. 

Jenny has kindly shared a recipe with us which contains spinach, a vegetable packed with vitamins and minerals.

Cashew Nut and Spinach Soup

Green leafy vegetables really are a superfood – and spinach is no exception. Optimising cellular health is a key anti-cancer strategy and spinach is a fantastic source of B vitamins, which are essential for cellular energy production. It also contains high quantities of natural folate, one of the vitamins to protect against anaemia. Folate is essential for cell replication and the very important process of methylation which regulates gene expression.

Spinach is also a rich source of minerals including magnesium, an essential nutrient for energy production, the maintenance and repair of healthy cells and bone health, and one of the best plant sources of iron.

This soup is fast to make, particularly if the vegetables are pre-cooked. It’s just simply a case of blending cashews, vegetables, hot water and stock to have a meal on the table in minutes.

The coconut cream can be switched for soft goat’s cheese if you are including goat’s dairy within your eating plan.

Ingredients (serves 2 people)

• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 60g cashew nuts
• 2 tsp bouillon
• 150g roasted butternut squash
• 50ml coconut cream/milk (or goat's cheese)
• 500ml hot water
• 2 large handfuls of spinach
• Seasoning to taste

Method

1. Steam or sauté the onion and garlic until soft.
2. Add the cashews and bouillon to a blender, blitz into a powder
3. Add the onions, garlic, squash, coconut cream and hot water to the blender. Blend until smooth
4. Add the spinach, blend again until smooth.
5. Season to taste

Substitutions: carrots can replace the squash, leeks can replace the onions and broccoli can replace the spinach.

Yes to Life are running a cookery class with Jenny and Geraldine (another friend from Inspired Nutrition) on the 28th June. Please visit the Yes to Life Website for more information on this event.

To find out more about Jenny and the work she does at Inspired Nutrition, please visit the website

Find more of Jenny's creations on the recipes page