Gracious Living Chestnut Almond Ginger Soup

walking around the streets of Toronto freezing my butt off (heading back to tropical climates next week! yipeeeeee) and noticed it’s chestnut season in all the grocery seasons.  inspired by these chestnut sightings and since i don’t usually eat them, i thought i would do some experimenting….what i LOVE to do ( i like to refer to myself as a kitchen scientist!)

made a fantastic vegan chestnut almond ginger soup which i am sharing….not to mention a vegan apple pie with chestnut hemp pie crust.  yup…..and i even made an apple ginger guacamole! (it worked kids, it worked!)

first, let me tell you about the oh so glorious chestnut:

nutritionally, chestnuts are similar to brown rice  and offer a sweet,subtle flavor. this means they are high in fibre, and compared to all other nuts, extremely low in calories AND fat!

• chestnuts are one-third the calorie content of peanuts and cashews and chestnuts are 99% fat free!

• chestnuts contain as much Vitamin C as an equal weight of lemons!

• chestnuts are high in complex carbohydrates for long-term energy.

• chestnuts  are gluten-free &  cholesterol free!

CHESNUT ALMOND GINGER SOUP 

You need to cut & steam the chestnuts first to make them soft and edible.

Carefully cut chestnuts by making a single, 1/8th-inch deep slit across the center (equator) on the rounded side of the nut. A sharp knife or kitchen shears allows for piercing the shell as you cut. Chestnuts contain a high percentage of water, which turns to steam as it cooks and must escape the shell.   

When cut properly, chestnuts will open when fully cooked, much like a clamshell. The chestnut meat easily pops out of the opening and is ready to eat as is, or use in a recipe.

To steam chestnuts: Place cut chestnuts in a steam-basket in a pan with 1/2 inch
of water. Bring water to a boil and steam chestnuts until the chestnut meats separate from the shell and chestnuts are soft. (i did mine for about 45 min)

Ingredients:

• about 10-15 steamed, peeled chestnuts
• 3 tbsp raw almond butter
• fresh garlic to your liking
• fresh ginger to your liking
• pinch sea salt
• 1-2 cups of water depending on desired consistency

Blend until smooth & creamy.

Enjoy as a soup ( I also shredded some raw carrot in the soup for extra nutrition and enzymes, but you don’t need to)

OR

you could add less water and use it as a dip

OR

as a sauce over top of raw or steamed veggies.

the soup was delish and very satisfying!  i loved the creamy richness even though it’s vegan and i never use dairy in my recipes.

**if you don’t have chestnuts around, try substituting with sweet potato.

would LOVE to hear feedback…..please share!

www.gracevanberkum.com

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