This month's fertility recipe was crafted by Blue Ova Health Coach Nicolle Payne and is a prefect nourishing meal for these cold winter evenings.  The beauty of this soup is its simplicity and bare ingredients, plus it provides a fertility packed boost from the sunny orange sweet potato.

Rich in vitamin A and beta-carotene, vitamin C, calcium, iron and antioxidants, the sweet potato offers excellent benefits for enhancing fertility:

• Vitamin A is a powerful antioxidant that protect against free radicals and helps improve cervical fluid and follicle development
• The sweet potato’s vibrant orange color is a clue to its high concentration of beta-carotene, which is important for any woman trying to conceive, as it helps regulate your period
• Vitamin B helps regulate hormone imbalances, which is often behind many fertility issues
• Vitamin C helps strengthen the immune system, leading to a strengthened reproductive system
• Calcium is a vital nutrient in triggering growth in embryos, while iron helps improve egg health and promote healthy ovulation
• The high level of antioxidants help uterus health by decreasing inflammation and oxidative stress

While this recipe is great at any time, it is particularly beneficial during your luteal phase (the second half of your menstrual cycle). Warming foods like soups and stews are especially important during the luteal phase, as this time is all about creating higher temperatures to help hold a pregnancy. The beta-carotene helps keep hormones in check and prevents early miscarriage.  

Below is the recipe, which just so happens to be vegan, but is so rich, comforting and delicious, non-vegans will ever notice!

Oh My Sweet Potato "Thai" Soup

Serves 4

List of Ingredients

• 1 1/2 TBSP of Coconut Oil
• 1 Large Yellow Onion, diced
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1 TBSP Curry Thai Seasoning (I use "Spicely Organic" brand but any Thai Curry Spice or Red Curry Paste will be good)
• 1 Heaping TBSP of Fresh Ginger, peeled & minced
• 5 Sprigs of Cilantro, tied together so they can be removed easily
• 1/2 cup of Coconut Milk
• 2 Large Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cubed (roughly 5-6 cups)
• 4 cups of Vegetable Broth
• Sea Salt to taste

Steps:

• Heat Coconut Oil on medium heat in large soup pot or Le Creuset
• Add onions and cook until translucent but not browned, 10 minutes
• Add garlic, curry, ginger, cilantro and big pinch of salt, stir and cook 2 minutes
• Add coconut milk and stir together, cook 2 minutes
• Add sweet potatoes and vegetable broth, bring to a boil
• Reduce heat to low and cook for 30 minutes
• REMOVE CILANTRO SPRIGS
• Carefully puree the soup in a blender in batches or use an immersion blender if you have one!

Super Optional SUPERFOOD SUPERSTARS  (add prior to blending)

• 2 TBSP of hemp seeds
• 2 TBSP of yellow maca or 1 TBSP of raw organic honey

Sweet Potato Tips:

• Boiling instead of baking, and boiling for no more than 30 minutes keeps the glycemic index level of the sweet potato low, which is beneficial for healthy ovulation
• Choose sweet potatoes with an orange hue; the deeper the color, the more beta-carotene the sweet potato contains