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Soup Soup …. Glorious Soup! I have been asked by some of you who do not cook…how to make soups. A simple easy way to get some of your Five A Day and to have something warming at lunch time.

Warming food fills your tummy. It fools your digestive system in to thinking it has eaten more than it has. So soup is a great lunch if you are watching your weight – as long as its isn’t a creamy one! There are many great recipes out there, but this is a simple easy method. All soups need a main vegetable, a stock, a base vegetable, and seasoning. The base is usually onion. Then choose your themed vegetable…it may be courgettes, carrots, broccoli. The seasoning will blend with the vegetable you have chosen. Preferably you have chosen one that is in season, so a good price too. Vegetables and seasoning that work well together: Carrots and coriander Courgettes and Mint Parsnips and cumin Tomato and Basil Your stock can be vegetable from a cube or meat from stock made from your Sunday roast. I like ‘Stock Pots’ as they have great flavour and can be added directly to the pan. If you have a bottle of wine open, after sautéing the vegetables you can add a glass of white wine and reduce it down before adding the stock.This makes a huge difference to to flavour.

Courgette Soup

2 onions

6 courgettes

Clove garlic

Tbsp mint

Chicken stock….about a pint

White wine about a glass.

Saute onions, add garlic if wanted, add courgettes. Splash in white wine about a glass.

Simmer 15 mins ish

Add mint

Blend

Dilute if too thick.

Cook with the lid off the pan to retain the colour of the vegetables.

That’s it …easy really.

You if you wish to freeze a top tip is to not dilute. Freeze as small blocks to save space and dilute when thawed. You may need to recheck seasoning.

So if you’d like carrot and coriander…. sauté 2 onions, add a bag of carrots, add a teaspoon of cumin and/or ground coriander and allow flavour to develop. Add stock. Simmer until soft and add fresh coriander. Cool and blend.

Use the same recipe for parsnip using cumin instead of the coriander.

Remember to add salt and pepper too!

For winter warming additions…add grated ginger, about a thumb size to the carrots or parsnip when sautéing.

Remember if you are watching calories, steer clear of cream soups.

Play with the recipes. If its too thick, add more water or stock.

If its too thin, reduce down a little or add cornflour (mixed with water first) ..but not if you are cooking for a Celiac. Try not to over cook your soup. It will kill all the vitamins.

Eat with the seasons…think about what you eat.

Savour your soups.