Upgrade Your Meal Routine with This Delicious, Brain-Boosting Soup

Whether you're trying to keep on top of your brain performance, or just looking to stay as healthy as possible, the right diet can play a big role. This delicious soup recipe – straight from the pages of the new book, Smart Plants – can help support your cognition, improve your wellness, and keep you nourished and satisfied. Ready in less than 30 minutes, it's proof that “simple” can equal “oh-so good.”

Garlicky Butter Bean Soup with Greens

This soup can easily be doubled for a great make-ahead meal, and is wonderfully versatile, too: You can use any kind of dark leafy green, whether it's spinach, kale, chard, and even collards. (Or, you can even use a different type of white bean in place of the butter beans!)

Makes 6 cups / Serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion, finely diced

1 packed tablespoon pressed garlic (from about 5-6 cloves)

4 cups vegetable broth, plus more if desired

3 cups cooked butter beans (or 2 15-ounce cans, rinsed and drained)

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Sea salt and ground black pepper

2 cups dark leafy greens (any variety), torn

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

¼ cup hemp seeds

In a large heavy-bottomed pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for thirty seconds longer, stirring constantly. Pour in the vegetable broth, then stir in the beans, turmeric powder, red pepper flakes, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the greens and lemon juice. Let the soup rest for about 5 minutes, covered, to allow the greens to wilt and become tender. Adjust seasoning to taste if desired, adding a little extra water or broth if soup becomes too thick. Serve warm, topped with hemp seeds.

Brain Boost: Add 1 tablespoon reishi powder to the vegetable broth when you add the ground the turmeric.

Reprinted with permission from Smart Plants (c), 2019 by Julie Morris, Sterling Publishing Co., Inc