Wondering what to make & eat in these early days of January? For me it's got to be wholesome & hearty, nourishing with plenty of veggies & verstaile enough for dinner as well a quick lunch. At this time of year, when we are being 'good' this is an all rounder of a recipe that will balance your blood sugar, support your gut health and give you a rosy glow. Use up veggies, raid the store cupboard, team with a big green salad & crusty bread/cheese & you're good to go.
For the stock, you are welcome to use a good quality, low salt, preferably Organic stock cube, but my preference would always be to make a speedy bone broth, or simple veggie one if you are not a meat eater. For the former, you can get away with simmering chicken legs or wings instead of a whole carcass. Add in some garlic, onion, herb stalks and black pepper, and for an added boost, chuck in the peelings from the veggies you are using. A 30-40 min boil is enough for a tasty stock, then lift out the wings or legs and use the meat in this soup. It's just delicious, I promise!
Serves 4 - 5
Ingredients:
2 chicken legs or wings to make simple bone broth OR 1 - 2 good quality stock cubes to make 1.5 litres of hot stock
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 leek, cleaned & chopped
2 sticks of celery, chopped
2 carrots, scrubbed & chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled & chopped
1/2 a fresh chilli, or a pinch of flakes
1 tin of white beans - borlotti, haricot or butter beans
1/2 cup of dried red lentils, or quinoa works well too
1 bay leaf and/or a handful of fresh herbs
3 handfuls of spinach or kale, rinsed & chopped
a dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche to serve
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Prep all the veg and get the stock on
Warm some oil in a wide sauce pan & add handfuls of the veg (exclusing the spinach/kale), along with a good pinch of salt
Add the chilli, garlic & turmeric
Then the lentils, beans & bay leaf
Drain the stock directly into the soup - of you need more liquid simply boil the kettle & top ups
Bring back up to heat and simmer for 15 mins +
Test some of the veggies wiht a slotted spoon, then using a stick blender, blitz the soup for about 20 seconds to thicken the base. Lleave the main quite chunky, or as you wish
Check the seasoning - it's Ok to add more salt & plenty of black pepper
Add in any chicken scraps from the stock you've made
Finally add the spinach or kale and leave to wilt into the soup
Serve hot with a dolloip of sour cream, fresh cream or creme fraiche and a sprinkle of fresh herbs.
What you'll have ended up with is a heaty potage - great wtih crusty bread, cheese and a green salad. I hope you enjoy it xx
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