Ok, so some of the ingredients in this soup are not my favourite! We’ve all got our favourites (hello, sweet potatoes – preferably in fry form) but that doesn’t mean that we’re not aware of how healthy some other ingredients are. For the last day of my ‘7 for 7’ healthy recipes, and hopefully for the rest of this year, I wanted to remind myself of the benefits of variety in my diet. Not just because it keeps me interested in my food (and therefore less likely to eat badly) but also because eating different foods gives me a greater variety of nutrients.
For instance, one of the ingredients in this soup – celery – is not only a good source of vitamin C but also supplies less known vitamins and minerals such as thiamin, riboflavin, folic acid, B6, sodium, potassium, magnesium, iron and zinc. I won’t go into a breakdown but the other veg here are similar vitamin powerhouses. And you know what? It tastes pretty darn good! Sometimes I get this idea that I have to disguise the flavours of some ingredients, but here I don’t need to! Tied together with some flavour-packed additions (garlic, turmeric and miso), they really get to shine!
Serves 2-3
INGREDIENTS
- 3 large sticks of celery, cut into chunks
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
- 3 medium carrots, scrubbed and cut into rounds
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 Tbsp miso paste
- ½ head of broccoli, cut into chunks
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- a handful of kale, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- a little fresh parsley and/or coriander (optional but gives it a lovely fresh taste)
METHOD
- Place the celery in a large saucepan with the olive oil and garlic and saute on a low heat for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the carrot rounds, turmeric and miso and cook for another couple of minutes.
- Add 4 cups/1 litre of freshly boiled water and bring to a simmer.
- After 5 minutes, add the broccoli and lemon juice, then cook for another 5 minutes before adding the kale.
- Cook for another few minutes until all the veg is tender.
- Taste, and add salt and pepper if necessary.
- Serve, topped with a sprinkle of parsley and coriander if using.
