Carrot, Beetroot and Lentil Soup

During the autumn and winter months, you will find me making soup at least a couple of times a month. It is one of the easiest things in the world to make and if you are on a budget, it is cheap, wholesome and a filling meal.

The pre-made soup market is booming, but unfortunately many of our favourite brands are chock-full of salt, sugar, fillers and preservatives that are not required by our bodies. They are also expensive. but not as expensive as buying soups from the plethora of sandwich chains that provide a large majority of the working population with our lunch.

Homemade soups are, in my opinion, much tastier and higher in nutritional value. Not only are they significantly cheaper, the other bonus is that you can include whatever ingredients you like as well as make it the consistency you like. Take me, I’m not a lover of liquidised soups, preferring chunky soups that are filling. I prefer to have something that fills my soul rather than leave me hungry. The added bonus being that I avoid the de rigueur slab of bread as I don’t need anything else to fill me up.

Transportation and storage:

• Soup can keep in a saucepan on the hob for a few days, without needing refrigeration (assuming you live in a colder climate such as the UK)
• Re-heating: warm soup in a smaller saucepan rather than re-heating the whole thing. This preserves the nutrients in the soup and also helps with your energy bills.
• Avoid boiling soup as this damages the nutrients and microwaving; nuking soup renders it unrecognisable as food by the body.
• Use a thermos to transport soup – it keeps it warm for hours and removes the re-heating requirement or the need for a bowl if you’re caught short.

Last week, I made a delicious carrot, beetroot & lentil soup which came about from the basic need to use up these root vegetables that were left over from the previous week. I wanted to share it with you all as not only is it super-filling, it is ridiculously easy to make.

1 bunch of carrots (about 8 medium)

1 bunch of beetroot (about 6)

1 cup puy green or red lentils

1 onion

1 litre of chicken stock – either fresh or marigold stock cube

Method:

Chop the onions and gently cook in some olive oil.

Scrub, top and tail and chop carrots and beetroot; add to the onions.

Cook at a medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring regularly

Add lentils to the vegetables and pour the stock over the vegetables. The stock ought to reach a third higher than the vegetables. If not, then just add some more water.

Bring the soup to the boil and reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes. Check the vegetables, if they are soft then the soup is ready, if not simmer for 10 minutes longer or until soft to the touch. If you are not eating immediately, you can always turn the heat off and leave the vegetables to cook in the hot liquor without heat.

This bit is up to you – you can either liquidise the soup, mash it to squish the vegetables but retain the lentils or leave as is, like I have.

If the lentils soak up the liquid exponentially, then just add some more water.

Key Nutritional Benefits:

• Carrot and beetroot are abundant in beta-carotenes, the red/yellow/orange anti-oxidants tha are especially good in helping ward off colds.
• Lentils provide B vitamins that are fantastic for energy, immune health and mental clarity. They contain fibre to help keep you regular and bind with toxins and waste products from the body for elimination. Lentils also contain amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, a source of which is very important for those following a vegetarian and vegan diet.

Image by Nick Saltmarsh

Quick Soup for One

It’s cold outside. You’ve come home knackered. You’re on your own. You can’t be bothered to cook for one.

Miso Paste: An essential fast food ingredient

Fridge door opens, you look inside and close it again totally uninspired thinking “I don’t want to eat junk, but I want something nice that will be done in less than 20 mins”. And then you end up eating toast, cheese & biscuits or some godforsaken frozen thing that your flatmate bought five months ago when they were drunk.

It is a common pitfall, that I’ve made many a time. However, after one food guilt trip too many I decided to have a think about what I could do to prevent this trap door opening again.

My key goals:

1) Minimal washing up (ideally one pan)

2) Free of starchy carbohydrates (rice, noodles, pasta, potato, root veg)

3) Include fresh vegetables and protein

4) Base ingredient of something I can keep for a long time in the fridge or cupboard

5) From chopping board to table in under twenty mins.

And, above all, it had to be good for me, a negative-equity nutrition-free zone.

I’ve been making a few soups recently and to me it ticks all the above boxes. It warms my bones so well, and if you lean towards the Asian style of cooking it is something that can be cooked in a flash. A Japanese friend of mine had bought me a packet of fresh miso paste from Arigato on Beak Street, Soho, which is super easy to use. It is, she said, the best on the market – GM free and no MSG. Similar to red curry paste, it lasts longer than you would have it for, so the perfect base for my soup.

The great thing about miso soup is that you can add pretty much anything to it – whether you want to keep things vegan, veggie or carnivore, it works well with everything.

I had one of these nights earlier this week so I thought I’d share the fruits of my labour with you. I didn’t have any other protein in the house except eggs and tinned fish, which would certainly not have worked, but you could add any leftover meat or fish to the dish.

Miso soup with Greens

Miso soup w/ Greens

1/2 red onion, chopped

2 ripe tomatoes, chopped

1 head of spring greens, shredded

2 brussel sprouts, shredded

1 egg

miso paste

1/2 fresh lime

Furikake seasoning

Sweat the onion and tomato together in a small frying pan for 5 mins.

Meanwhile, boil the kettle

In a large soup bowl, mix a teaspoon of Miso paste with boiling water. Fill to 2/3 full.

Crack a (fresh, organic) egg into the miso base and allow to poach

(you can make the base in a saucepan and poach the egg in the liquid under heat if you don’t feel comfortable with this step)

Add the greens to the frying pan, add a little water and leave to wilt for 5 mins. Cover with a lid if you have one to allow the greens to steam.

When the greens are wilted, place into miso soup base.

Sprinkle with Furikake seasoning and squeeze some lime juice on top… Ta-dah! Job done.

Eat immediately.