How to Make Potato Leek Soup with Fennel Seeds & Red Pepper Flakes

SERVINGS: 6

COOK TIME: 45 MINUTES

SKILL LEVEL: EASY

MEAL: LUNCH-DINNER

STYLE: AYURVEDIC

PREPARATION: SOUP, BOILED

EAT IN: AUTUMN-WINTER

FOR OCCASION: ON-THE-MEND

How Can This Ayurvedic Recipe Make You Feel Great?

AYURVEDIC ANALYSIS

If "fresh bright green" had a taste, it would be Potato Leek Soup with Fennel Seeds. Smooth, rich and refined, this creamy soup is only made more enticing by the spicy sizzle of red pepper flakes.

Dairy-Free Creamy Soup

Cream based soups are a decadent dish that frequently leave upset tummies- not so in this case. Blended potatoes with just the right amount of sunflower oil create a base that is just as smooth and nourishing as those filled with heavy cream. This lighter style soup will have you feeling calm, nourished, and (here's the kicker...) gas free!

Easy to Digest for All

Potatoes, un-remedied by spices and cooking, cause gas and weight gain. They are naturally astringent, a unique quality among starches. Potatoes are also soothing and demulcent, making them useful for cooling inflammation in the GI tract. Potatoes alone can provoke Vata because of their astringency. Making a creamy soup (Vata's most beloved preparation) and adding warm spices like fennel helps Vata feel calm and symptom free.

Sweet and stimulating, fennel possesses a unique combination of warming and cooling qualities that stimulate the appetite before meals and facilitate digestion afterward. Ate a little too much and feel bloated? Was the food a tad too spicy? Fennel relieves gas and bloating; it also functions to reduce burping, acid reflux, and alleviate nausea and indigestion. Fennel improves the digestive fire (agni) by stimulating blood flow to the stomach.

Improved Circulation

Feel warm and relaxed thanks to Potato Leek Soups spice mixture. Pungent red and black peppers stimulate the heart to improve circulation via vasodilation. They destroy mucous in the digestive tract and sinuses. Black pepper is a carminative (expels gas) and warms cold Vata digestion. Red pepper flakes take the heat to a whole new level- they are very hot and pungent! Alone, they are too intense for most Vata and Pitta people. However, combined with cool potatoes and fennel, red pepper adds welcome heat and excitement! If you find red pepper flakes to cause you to sweat profusely or feel jittery, use black pepper and ginger instead.

Relaxed Muscles

The very nature of soup is to give soothing relaxation to your mind, muscles, and digestion. The addition of fennel intensifies this effect. Like many aromatic herbs, fennel is effective in relaxing smooth muscle spasms. It specifically relieves bronchial spasms in the lungs, colic in the GI tract and uterine cramping, thereby helping with diverse conditions from asthma to menstrual cramps. Simply adding it to your food can bring sweet relief, making Potato Leek Soup a diverse remedy.

Discovered by Chef Mark Reinfled of Blossoming Lotus, HI (https://www.blossominglotus.com)
Reported by Alana Greenberg, an Ayurvedic Student from Santa Fe, NM.

WHY EAT AN AYURVEDIC DIET?

Eating Ayurvedically makes you feel nourished and energized. An Ayurvedic diet is tailored to your individual body type and the specific imbalances you are working with at any given time. Ayurveda shows you your specific body type’s needs and what should be favored in your Ayurvedic menu. Watch as you eat less but feel more satisfied because what you are eating truly nourishes you. Since Ayurveda believes all disease begins in the digestive tract, food is your first medicine. By eating a healthy diet that’s ideal for your body, you experience optimal health.

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Is Potato Leek Soup with Fennel Seeds & Red Pepper Flakes Good for My Ayurvedic Diet?

Find out by taking this free, easy quiz. You'll learn your body type, and whether Potato Leek Soup with Fennel Seeds & Red Pepper Flakes is a good fit for you. Time to complete: approximately 1 minute.

AYURVEDIC MEDICINAL QUALITIES

INCREASES Increases These Qualities (Gunas) Functional Ayurveda helps you assess imbalances through 20 main characteristics (gunas). Aggravating these characteristics weakens your body and causes imbalance. By knowing which characteristics are habitually imbalanced in your body, you will be able to identify and correct imbalances before you get sick. Every characteristic has an opposite which balances it (i.e. hot balances cold). You restore balance by favoring diet and lifestyle choices that increase the opposite characteristic. Learn More	CLEAR ABOUT CLEAR GUNA Clear refers to anything that cleanses or flushes out wastes, or that digests ama. LEARN MORE ABOUT CLEAR EASY ABOUT EASY GUNA Easy refers to anything easy to digest, or digests quickly. LEARN MORE ABOUT EASY LIGHT ABOUT LIGHT GUNA Lightness is identified by reduced weight. LEARN MORE ABOUT LIGHT
TASTES The 6 Tastes Taste is used to sense the most basic properties and effects of food. Each taste has a specific medicinal effect on your body. Cravings for food with certain tastes indicate your body is craving specific medicinal results from food. Taste is experienced on the tongue and represents your body's reaction to foods. Sweet taste causes physical satisfaction and attraction whereas bitter taste causes discomfort and aversion. Kapha should use less sweet taste while Vata and Pitta would benefit from using more sweet taste. One of the first signs of illness is that your taste and appetite for food changes. The six tastes are sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent. Do you crave foods with any of the tastes below? Learn More	PUNGENT ABOUT PUNGENT GUNA Pungency is characterized by irritation, or sharp, spicy foods that irritate the mouth such as black pepper. LEARN MORE ABOUT PUNGENT
DOSHAS The Three Doshas / Body Types People tend to get sick, over and over again, due to similar causes and habitual imbalances that are unique to the person. Your body type summarizes this tendency, showing you the 'type' of conditions and imbalances that frequently challenge your health & wellness. Using body type, you can also identify remedies likely to improve your strength and resiliency. Your body type identifies physical and mental characteristics as well as your personal strengths and weaknesses. The calculation of your body type is based on your medical history. The 3 functional body types (doshas), are Catabolic (Vata), Metabolic (Pitta), and Anabolic (Kapha). Catabolic individuals tend to break down body mass into energy. Metabolic individuals tend to burn or use energy. Anabolic individuals tend to store energy as body mass. Catabolic people tend to be easily stimulated, hyperactive, underweight and dry. Metabolic people tend to be rosy-cheeked, easily irritated, focused, driven, and easily inflamed. Anabolic people are heavy, stable and grounded, but if they store too much energy, they could gain weight easily and have congestion. Learn More	PACIFIES
HAS THE FOLLOWING	EFFECT: Alkalizing ALKALIZING An herb or food that makes the urine more alkaline (higher pH). This herbal action can be helpful for a number of inflammatory conditions. LEARN MORE ABOUT ALKALIZING , Prana PRANA Prana is the Sanskrit word for vital life energy, similar to Qi in Chinese Medicine. Many herbs stimulate your energy, or improve the flow of prana through your body. Generally, prana needs to be increased in spring after a sleepy winter. LEARN MORE ABOUT PRANA , Ojas OJAS Ojas is the essence of healthy tissue, immunity, stable energy and happiness. Substances that improve ojas are recommended after long-term illness, debility, emotional and physical trauma, and even sadness. LEARN MORE ABOUT OJAS , Rajasic RAJASIC Rajasic foods stimulate desire or nervous energy. Red meat, high protein food, garlic and onions stimulate desire. Rajasic foods include chili peppers, coffee, and anything that stimulates movement. LEARN MORE ABOUT RAJASIC TYPE: Roots CONTAINS: Nightshade NIGHTSHADE A member of the plant family Solanaceae. Members of this family have a tendency to irritate the liver and arthritic conditions. Tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, and bell peppers. LEARN MORE ABOUT NIGHTSHADE

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES

Experiences are Personal

Experiences vary according to the person and constitution. Individual results may vary. The list of actions below has not be approved by the FDA and should not be used to treat a medical condition.

Digestion:

Digestive

DIGESTIVE

Herbs that encourage healthy digestion.

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,

Stomachic

STOMACHIC

An herb that increases appetite or settles a nauseas or nervous stomach. These generally increase the digestive fire, therefore relieving symptoms of sluggish or difficult digestion.

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,

Antispasmodic

ANTISPASMODIC

Herbs that reduce or inhibit muscle spasms or cramping, such as in asthma, colic or IBS.

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Energy Vitality Strength:

Nutritive

NUTRITIVE

An herb that is strengthening and nourishing.

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Heart & Circulation:

Cardiac stimulant

CARDIAC-STIMULANT

Herbs that increase the heart rate. Useful in cardiovascular health, blood stagnation, and subjective feeling of heaviness in the chest area.

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Vasodilator

VASODILATOR

A vasodilator is an herb that widens the blood vessels by the relaxation of smooth muscle cells within the vessel walls, thereby increasing circulation systemically or to a local area.

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Lung and Sinus:

Decongestant

DECONGESTANT

An herb that reduces mucus congestion in the sinus or lungs by restricting blood flow to mucus membranes.

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Mind, Stress & Sleep:

Sedative

SEDATIVE

Sedative herbs create a sense of calm in the mind and body by specifically calming or quieting the nervous system. Excellent for anxiety, stress and chronic pain.

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Reproductive Health:

Galactagogue

GALACTAGOGUE

Increases production of breast milk.

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Skin Care & Beauty:

Diaphoretic

DIAPHORETIC

An herb that induces sweating, often by dilating blood vessels close to the skin.

LEARN MORE ABOUT DIAPHORETIC