Cooped up and Souped-up this Winter

As the temperature starts to drop we feel like doing less and less. Being cooped up inside on the couch with a warm and delicious bowl of soup sounds like a dream. Soups are glorious as they are often rather fool proof. Throw a handful of different ingredients into one pot and cook until done and there you go! Minimal dishwashing, minimal cost and delicious results!

Soups are great for many reasons:

• You can cram them full of vegetables helping you reach your daily vegetable intake – which is between 3-5 cups daily. We all know the benefits of vegetables such as vitamins, minerals, fibre, phytonutrients and more.
• All the goodness stays. The vitamins and minerals won’t leach out into water and be thrown down the drain – this can happen when you over boil vegetables.
• They freeze well which is fantastic for our busy lifestyles. Make a big batch and freeze single portions which are perfect to grab for lunch or take out on those days when work ended later than expected.
• Soups can be real flavour power houses that are rich in herbs and spices. Adding more fresh herbs and spices such as cumin, paprika, capsicum etc. to the diet can have great health benefits as they are rich in phenolic compounds.
• Making your own soups puts you in control of what goes inside. You can chose ingredients to your preference and reduce the intake salt and other additives that are often added to convenience meals.

Tips to keep soups healthy

• Be careful not to overcook your vegetables to damage too much of the vitamin and minerals. Time when you add your ingredients instead of them all at once. Get your meat almost soft and then add your root veg (butternut, carrot etc) until soft and then add the remaining vegetables.
• Soups can end up being very high in salt due to stock cubes or powders being added. Salt contributes to the increased risk of high blood pressure so it should be reduced as much as possible. Use lots of flavourants like garlic, ginger, onion, herbs, spices to up the flavour without using stock.
• Avoid adding excess cream to soups. It is high in saturated fat which can contribute to LDL-cholesterol which is associated with cardiovascular disease. Opt instead for portion controlled amounts of the Monounsaturated fats such as avo, raw nuts and olive oil to enhance flavour.

Why not try this delicious soup – packed with colour and flavour it is both nutritious and delicious!

 Bright Red Beetroot Soup topped with Goat’s Cheese and Fresh Basil

Ingredients

6 Large beetroot bulbs, no leaves or stems

3 Large red onions, peeled, quartered

1 Large red pepper, quartered, deseeded

2-3 Grinds of Himalayan Salt

2 Tbs. Olive oil

500ml Vegetable or Chicken stock

1 Apple, cored and cut into quarters

1 tsp. Coriander seeds, ground

1 Round Goats Cheese (60-80g), cut into smaller blocks

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Fresh Basil to garnish, chopped finely

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180°C.
• Parboil the beetroot (with skin) for about 5 minutes to soften slightly before roasting.
• Slice the beetroot bulbs, red pepper and red onions into quarters. Rub with olive oil and place onto a baking tray. Season with salt and ground coriander seeds.
• Roast until beetroot is soft & then cool before liquidising in a blender with stock.
• Cut the apple into quarters and remove the core. Add the apple to the soup mix and blend well to make it smooth. Use more water if needed for desired consistency.
• Heat the soup up and serve with a small block of goat’s cheese, finely chopped fresh basil and freshly ground black pepper.

Nutrition per serving

References

Costa, D. C., et al., Advances in phenolic compounds analysis of aromatic plants and their potential applications, Trends in Food Science & Technology (2015)

Eckel RH, Jakicic JM, Ard JD, et al. AHA/ACC guideline on lifestyle management to reduce cardiovascular risk: a report of the American College of Cardiology American / Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines. Circulation (2013)

Practice-based Evidence in Nutrition: Cardiovascular Disease Evidence Summary. Dietitians of Canada 2015. Last updated on 10 December 2014.