NOURISHING VEGETABLE SOUP

There is nothing more that I love in winter than warm, hearty soup. I adapted this recipe from one I found in Yoga Girl's (Rachel Brathen's) book. Brathen lists some delicious recipes at the end of most of her chapters, all vegetarian, all super healthy and all very easy to make. I adapted her 'Carrot & Ginger Soup' to include more vegetables, particularly some that were on their last legs in my fridge. To spice up this soup you could add some ground or fresh chilli or more garlic or ginger. The amount that I used below of both garlic & ginger is subtle, however if you are fighting off winter bugs I'd suggest a bit more of each. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 kg of carrots, peeled and cut into similar sized rounds
• 5cm of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 large or 4 small to medium garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 400g potatoes, peeled and cut into similar sized sliced
• 1 large zucchini or 2 small to medium, cut into similar sized rounds
• 3 large celery sticks, cut into similar sized pieces
• 1 large brown onion, cut into similar sized pieces
• 2 litres of low salt vegetable stock
• 1 x 400ml can of coconut milk 
• salt & ground black pepper
• Optional- a large handful of fresh finely cut parsley

COOKING 

1. Place the carrots, ginger, garlic, potatoes, zucchini, celery and brown onion in a large, deep saucepan. Pour the stock over the top and season with a pinch of salt and a generous amount of pepper. If the stock does not just cover all the vegetables, add a bit more water, 1/2 cup at a time. Cover and bring to the boil over high heat, then simmer for 10 minutes or until the vegetables have softened considerably. 

2. Pour in the coconut milk then return the pan to the boil, covered and over high heat. Once boiled, remove from the stove and leave to cool slightly for a few minutes before blending or processing in a blender or a food processor. Make sure to blend/process a little of the vegetables and liquid at a time. 

Serve warm, with extra ground black pepper, a touch of ground chilli and/or some fresh parsley on top. 

Serves / 8 

Total Preparation time / 20-30 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 25 minutes 

x Emily