Keep it green for your health
In the middle of winter it can feel much harder to eat healthily – today’s recipes cover both bases of healthy and nutrient-packed, and at the other end of the spectrum, a little bit naughty and indulgent. The super green soup is rich with the alliums onion, leek and garlic, purported to have anti-inflammatory properties, the fibre of potatoes, iron-rich and antioxidant-loaded spinach and broccoli. Admittedly the cream doesn’t make it to the healthy list, so if you’re counting calories swap it for milk or a little more yoghurt.
The flavours are given an extra spark with the addition of lemon zest, cayenne pepper and mint, which really bring the soup to life.
If you are keen to keep things on the healthy side, you may not want to move on to the next recipe – but, for me, life is all about balance and these blue cheese sourdough toasts really are greater than the sum of their parts. The combination of slightly salty, pungent blue cheese on crusty toasted sourdough with a crumble of nubbly walnuts is unbeatable.
They make a great partner for today’s soup but are also fabulous with cauliflower, mushroom or French onion soup, and made slightly smaller, are delicious served with drinks.
Super green soup
Serves: 6
Makes: 8 cups Preparation: 20 minutes Cooking: 33 minutes
1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon butter 1 onion, chopped
1 leek, trimmed and chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Agria potato, peeled and chopped
1 head broccoli, stalks and florets chopped
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
240g baby or chopped spinach 1⁄3 cup cream 1⁄4 cup mint leaves
Pinch cayenne pepper
Finely grated zest of a lemon
1⁄4 cup natural yoghurt
Fresh herbs to garnish – I used miniature basil Poppy or black sesame seeds to garnish (optional)
Put the oil and butter in a large, heavy-based pot and heat together until melted. Add the onion and leek and season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook over a medium heat for eight minutes until soft but not coloured.
Add garlic and cook a further two minutes. Add potato and broccoli stalks and stock, and bring to a gentle boil for 15 minutes. Add broccoli florets, cook for five minutes, then add spinach and cook a further three minutes. Remove from the heat and add three tablespoons of the cream, mint leaves, cayenne, and lemon zest. Use a stick blender to whiz until smooth.
In a small jug, whisk the remaining cream and yoghurt.
Serve the soup with a swirl of the cream mixture, a sprinkling of sea salt and black pepper, some fresh soft herbs, and a few poppy or black sesame seeds to garnish (if desired).
Walnut and blue cheese sourdough toasts
Makes: 12 Preparation: 5 minutes Cooking: 2 minutes
12 slices sourdough 200g soft blue cheese
1⁄2 cup walnut halves
Preheat the grill and put the sourdough slices in an even layer on an oven tray. Grill until lightly golden then turn over and spread with blue cheese. Divide walnut pieces over cheese and grill until the cheese is melted and the walnuts lightly toasted.
The addition of lemon zest, cayenne pepper and mint really bring the soup to life.