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| Parsnip soup with grated mature cheese |
Soup has to be the easiest meal to make. And it’s a great way to use up veggies that are staring to look a bit tired.
You can begin making your soup the proper way by sauteing onions and then adding stock plus your veggies. I’m often in a hurry and just want to get a bowl of piping hot soup out ASAP.
For this parsnip soup I chopped a bag of parsnips into smallish chunks and placed them in a pot. I added an organic low-salt stock. In the UK I have been using – Kallo – low salt stock. In South Africa I would use either – Plantaforce – or – Ina Paarman – stock.
Add boiling water to cover, put the pot on the stove and bring to boil. Once boiling, drop the heat back and allow veggies, stock and water to simmer for around 30 mins. Most people add cream to the pot at this point but I prefer to add silken tofu which packs a low fat protein punch. You will also want to add your favourite seasonings at this stage. I only used black pepper but lots of it.
You could add garam masala, dried herbs or spices such as ginger, cinnamon or nutmeg. A dash of stevia to sweeten the soup would work well with ginger or cinnamon. Next, using a stick blender, puree the soup until it is a smooth consistency.
I grated mature cheese and added it last for flavour and as a garnish. And that’s it.
A meal in just over 30 minutes.
You can use just about any vegetables to make a soup. Frozen veggies are already chopped and speed up your preparation time. You can swirl your soup with cream cheese, yogurt or pesto in lieu of cheddar cheese.
Another meal that you can rustle up in minimum time is a veggie gratin.
Defrost frozen veggies in an oven proof bowl in the microwave. Mix in a yummy pasta sauce or concentrate such as basil pesto or sun dried tomato pesto. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and grill in the oven. Pop some soy burgers or sausages in the microwave oven for a few mins as per instructions and serve with your vegetable gratin. Who needs take-outs?
Find more ideas for low carb, low GI and vegetarian meals on the recipe page
