Spice up your soup
Wholefood store’s recipe developer shares the good oil
FROM humble beginnings as a juice bar 20 years ago, About Life has evolved into eight natural wholefood stores across Sydney and Melbourne.
But now all Aussies can access its healthy eating, because nutritionist and recipe developer Vladia Cobrdova has recreated more than 135 of the dishes she has made popular in the stores’ cafes, takeaway and ready-made meal sections.
The team shares two recipes with Weekend from the new cookbook, A Whole New Way to Eat, out now.
Spicy ginger and tomato soup
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS: 1 tbs coconut oil 1 large red (Spanish) onion, finely chopped 100g fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
6 carrots, chopped 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes 375ml tinned coconut milk 20g chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves (optional) 1 lime
Crispy topping – 2 tsp coconut oil 2 fresh long red chillies, sliced 2 tsp chopped fresh ginger 40g (1½ oz/1 cup) coconut chips
METHOD: Heat the coconut oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and ginger and cook for 2-3 minutes until golden. Add the carrots, tomatoes and 375ml of water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the carrots are very tender. Stir in the coconut milk, then remove from the heat. Using a stick blender, puree the soup until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, to make the crispy topping, heat the coconut oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the chilli, chopped ginger and coconut chips and stir for 5-6 minutes until crisp.
To serve, ladle the soup into four bowls, scatter with the crispy topping and coriander leaves (if using), then squeeze a lime over.
NOTE: Tomatoes have the interesting attribute of being better for you when cooked. Cooking encourages the easier absorption of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that may even have a role in cancer prevention. Images and recipes from A Whole New Way To Eat by Vladia Cobrdova (Murdoch Books, RRP $39.99).