Ginger Essential Oil and Sweet Potato Soup

Using ginger essential oil and lapping up sweet potato ginger soup won’t make you dance like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.  But it will put an extra spring in your step!

Ginger has long been a stalwart of home remedies and cooking.   If you’re a regular at your local Thai takeaway, ginger-based stir fries could get your usual ‘thumbs up’ and it’s a traditional ingredient in many types of cuisine, both sweet and savoury.

Warming and soothing, ginger is incredibly versatile and great for your overall sense of wellbeing.

You can easily add fresh ginger to your day with homemade ginger tea, which feels super-nurturing and cleansing at the same time.   Add an inch (roughly 2cm or so) of peeled and chopped root to a couple of cups of purified water, boil for 10 minutes or so (longer if you enjoy hotter flavours).  Strain to remove the ginger chunks and enjoy!  It makes a refreshing iced tea in summer, too.

I found a recipe for ginger lollies, very popular for chewing while travelling or after eating, but frankly anything involving a truckload of sugar and candy thermometer isn’t going to make it onto this blog!  And it’s far easier and healthier to open a bottle of Young Living ginger essential oil and take a good, long whiff!

Steam distilled from the Zingiber officinale rhizomes/root, ginger essential oil has a myriad of constituents, including zingiberene (30-40%), beta-sesquiphellandrene, 1,8-cineole (eucalyptol) + beta-phellandrene, AR curcumene and camphene. (Source: Essential Oils Desk Reference, Life Science Publishing.)

What does all that mean?  Your trusty essential oils reference books can tell you more about its benefits, and there are many.  And please note, ginger oil has anticoagulant properties so keep that in mind if you’re on any such medications as it can amplify their effects.

How can you use ginger essential oil?

Ginger oil can be inhaled directly from the bottle (very handy when travelling) and diffused for a gently stimulating vibe around the home.  You can also apply it on location and chakra points as desired and dilute as needed.

And Young Living ginger essential oil can be added to food, including today’s recipe!  Note well: only ingest essential oils if the label specifically says you can do so.

Not all oils are created equal.  Quality varies immensely, so please ensure you are choosing a brand with complete transparency from seed to seal, such as Young Living.  Discover why we love them so much in this short video.

Ginger Sweet Potato and Peanut Soup

Adapted from Eating Well  (Serves 4-5)

• 2 large sweet potatoes (scrub well under running water, pat dry)
• 1 tablespoon virgin coconut or olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 can crushed Italian tomatoes
• dash of hot chilli sauce (optional)
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger or 2 drops of Young Living ginger essential oil
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/3 cup smooth natural peanut butter
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• Freshly chopped parsley or finely sliced shallots for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 190C/375F.
2. Chop sweet potatoes into 2.5 cm/1” pieces, rub with a little olive oil and salt on a baking tray, and roast for 25-30 minutes.  Remove when tender and nicely browned.  Mmm! Set aside.
3. Heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until it just begins to brown.  Add garlic and stir for another minute. Stir in stock, optional chilli sauce, ginger and/or ginger essential oil and allspice.  Simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add half the sweet potato to the pot. Place the other half in a food processor or stick blender with the crushed tomato and peanut paste. Puree until completely smooth. Add the puree to the pot and stir well to combine. Add a little extra water if desired to bring to the texture you like.
5. Season with Himalayan or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat until hot. Garnish with cilantro or shallots, or any freshly snipped herbs that appeal.  This soup keeps in the fridge for up to three days.  Add a little more water if needed when you reheat it.

You might like to add some coconut milk or finish off with a swirl of organic Greek yoghurt before topping with chopped herbs.  Serve with warm crusty bread and you have a nourishing, light meal that’s perfect for winter nights.  Stay cosy!

Enjoy the good oil daily.

The information on this site does not constitute advice. Please consult with your health practitioner. When using any of the products mentioned throughout this site, please be sure to read the labels and follow their suggestions for safe use. We make commissions from sales via many of the products we recommend but we only suggest products we genuinely enjoy and want you to benefit from.  Soup image credit Eating Well