Eat your way to healthy skin: Roasted Mediterranean Vegetable Soup

With Passover and Easter upon us, we wanted to share a yummy, healthy vegetable soup that is easy to make ahead of time and a healthy option for your Seder or Easter dinner. We love this recipe for Roasted Mediterranean Vegetable Soup from aish.com because it is packed with skin loving vegetables.

Serves 6

• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 tomatoes (about 1 pound), halved
• 3 yellow or red peppers, halved
• 3 zucchinis, chopped in large pieces
• 1 small eggplant, chopped in large pieces
• 4 cloves garlic, halved
• 2 onions cut into 1/8’s
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• ½ cup non-dairy creamer
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ cup fresh basil, shredded

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line and grease two large baking sheets with aluminum foil. In a large bowl, mix tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, eggplant, garlic and onions. Add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, ½ teaspoon thyme, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and toss until all vegetables are coated. Spread vegetables and any juices onto baking sheets in a single layer.

Bake for 35 minutes, until soft and browned. When cool, remove the skin from the peppers.

Place the vegetables in a food processor and pulse, do not puree them. They should be the consistency of salsa.

In a large soup pot, heat the chicken stock over medium-high heat. When hot, add the vegetables and turn down the heat to simmer. Add remaining ½ teaspoon thyme, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Stir in the non-dairy creamer and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the basil and serve warm.

Here is how the key foods in this recipe help support skin health:

Red bell peppers

A half-cup of chopped red pepper will give you more than 100% of your dietary reference intake of wrinkle-fighting vitamin C. Researchers in the UK looked at vitamin C intake in 4,025 women and found that those who ate more vitamin C had less wrinkling and dryness.

 Tomatoes

Tomatoes are high in lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that may help protect cells from damage. Lycopene has been linked to preventing loss of skin collagen, which prevents sagging, as well as leading to fewer fine lines and furrows.

Extra virgin olive oil

Extra virgin olive oil contains essential fatty acids that have been found to help skin resist UV damage in a Lancet Oncology study. Essential fatty acids are also part of the cell membranes that help hold in moisture. Don’t overdo it. You only need about 1 tablespoon of olive oil daily to keep skin supple.

Onions

Onions are rich in quercetin, an antioxidant that protects against wrinkles. It may also help protect skin against UV damage.

Remember, following a healthy, balanced diet will help your overall health as well as your skin health. So begin making changes to your diet today!

Let us know what you think of this recipe and please share your own with us!

Check back in 2 weeks for more food ideas and remember – tracking your progress and getting personalized tips is easy with OKU, the first iPhone enabled skin coach.  Learn more at getoku.com!