The Cleansing Soup That’s Helping Our Skin *And* Our Metabolism
It’s our go-to after a big night out.
If we had a penny for every time someone with flawless skin and boundless energy told us their secret was drinking hot water with lemon every morning, well, we’d have a lot of pennies. But the reason for its popularity is because drinking hot water and lemon *actually* helps you digest a big meal, and gets things ~moving~. Lemon juice is also high in vitamin C, which can help keep you from getting sick and makes your skin glowier—and it promotes alkalinity, which we all know is a great thing.
Meanwhile, fennel is a great source of fiber, potassium, folate, vitamin C and vitamin B-6, making it an all-around winner in addition to being delicious. B-6 helps boost your metabolism, while the fiber helps you feel full—in addition to also keeping things ~moving~. All in all, lemon + fennel = detox champion.
Splendid Spoon, one of our favorite sources for delicious and healthy soups (which, weirdly, we’re always on the hunt for), gave us this recipe for a detoxifying, cleansing soup that’s heavy on both lemon and fennel (and a whole bunch of other stuff) in addition to being vegan and gluten-free. This is one we’re making in massive batches and eating all week long.
LEMON-FENNEL CONSOMMÉ
INGREDIENTS:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, smashed and chopped
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced (a round one if you can find it; makes about 2 ½ cups)
2 quarts water
1 tsp sea salt
1 red chilli pepper, any variety (use gloves if your skin is sensitive to hot peppers) or 1⁄2 tsp red-pepper flakes
grated peel of 1 lemon
grated peel and juice of 1 large orange
1⁄4 cup chopped fresh dill
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large pot over medium heat, warm the oil. Cook the onion, garlic, and fennel, stirring for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the mixture is soft.
2. Add the water, salt, pepper, lemon peel, orange peel, and orange juice. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour.
3. Stir in the dill and enjoy hot.
