But what this weather does for me is make me crave all kinds of warm hearty things… and above all soup! I almost never want to make soup during the summer, when all I want is a salad. But now, I want to tuck into something that feels just as cosy as the hot water bottle currently residing somewhere near my toes… which are covered in thick socks.

Now, this soup isn’t just warm and cosy, but it’s actually good for you! As I mentioned in a previous post about cooking with these bad boys, Jerusalem artichokes are full of inulin, which is amazing for your gut bacteria… just not for your dignity. They call them fartichokes after all. And that’s not the only part of this soup which is healthy – celeriac is too! I mean, it’s definitely not the prettiest vegetable to look at (seriously, it’s not winning any vegetable beauty contests) but celeriac is full of dietary fibre, minerals, and vitamins! With these two as the main ingredients in a soup, you’ll feel better in more ways than one. And seeing as how they are both currently in season, why not try this recipe this weekend?

Fun fact, we actually grew Jerusalem artichokes this summer, by accident. Turns out we missed some of the plant we dug up last year, and covered it with our new composter. Now we can’t properly dig the rest up, and so we will forever have Jerusalem artichokes growing by our composter. Which is great news for me, but not so for Richard. His gut seems to go particularly crazy when he has Jerusalem artichokes… which isn’t something he likes too much.

Now I really liked the flavour of this soup, as it’s very different from anything else I’ve ever had. Celeriac has a definite celery taste (obviously), and combined with the nutty Jerusalem artichoke, it was quite unique. I seasoned it a bit less than most things I make, as I really wanted those two flavours to shine through. Normally I go crazy with tons of garlic… mmm garlic… **insert drooling here**

One other thing I tried, was making this dairy-free. I’ve always struggled with digesting lots of fats, especially dairy, and have been trying to reduce the amount I consume. I used some single soya instead of cream to thicken the soup, and you couldn’t really tell the difference! So if you happen to be vegan, or trying to introduce vegan recipes into your life, you can easily switch some ingredients here to make it work for you.

And that’s it! It’s a really simple soup to make, and pairs quite well with my customary garlic sourdough bread… mmmmm… gotta love a big warm bowl of soup, and some crunchy garlicky toast! Perfect for this recent cold snap!

I mean sure, you can make all sorts of paleo “blah-blah-naturally-sweetened-with-bananas” type things… but those aren’t really muffins. Muffins are fluffy, and slightly sweet, with a delicious crusty top. They’re basically cupcakes without the frosting if we’re being honest with ourselves. They’re cupcakes we can feel better about eating.

However, if there was such a thing as a healthy muffin – this would be it! It does contain sugar but also has pumpkin purée, apple, carrot, and zucchini (courgette) inside. Not to mention pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.

It might not seem like the kind of recipe for the beautiful sunny weather we’ve been having, but I think it works. The flavours may feel like fall (with the pumpkin, cinnamon, and cloves) but the fact that it’s healthy makes it feel like summer to me! I can’t be the only one who craves salad and other healthy foods once the weather heats up? Goodbye, hearty and rich stews – hello BBQ!

In my humble opinion, if carrot cake is acceptable all year round, why not these?

So if you’d like a morning treat, or something to bring to the office, and are looking for healthier options – why not try these? I can guarantee you that you won’t be disappointed.