The key to creating healthy and nutritious soups is obviously to remove the ‘baddies’ so commonly used as the base for traditional soups – these include cream, butter, salt and gluten.

In their place strong flavours need to be added as many vegetable based soups can taste quite bland. Ideas to experiment with are fresh herbs, garlic, ginger, onion, mixed spices – cumin, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, fennel seeds, paprika, curry powder, jalapenos, chilli, olives, fresh nuts.

The trick is to cook these added flavours first in a very small amount of extra virgin cold pressed olive oil. This should take about 5 minutes on a medium flame.

Next add your choice of vegetables, beans, fruit etc… and then add water to fully cover the vegetables in the pan. Simmer this on a medium heat for approximately 1 ½ – 2 hours. This will ensure that all the flavours have infused through the vegetables. Let the soup mixture cool a bit and then simply puree it in a blender. Most soups can be then served hot or cold and you can use chopped herbs, seeds or nuts to garnish.

For a creamier tasting soup you can replace cream or milk with coconut milk (ideally low fat) – this will add a distinctly authentic thai twist to any combination of tastes. However, be aware that this will increase the fat content somewhat, dependent on the amount added.

Serves 2

10 ripe tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
1/2 large cucumber, peeled
1 small green pepper
1 cup of olive oil
4 tbsp of tamari
5 tbsp of red wine vinegar
a few shakes of tabasco

Method:

Roughly chop the tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. Put the tomatoes in a bowl and pour over the tamari, allow them to sit for 10 minutes so that the juices bleed.

Blend the tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic, green pepper, and tobasco in a blender until smooth (about 4 minutes). Add the olive oil to the mix and, once thoroughly blended, add the vinegar taking care not to let it separate. Blend gently to ensure everything is combined.

Refrigerate the the gazpacho for at least an hour before serving so that it is nice and cold. You can serve the soup with a garnish which can be sprinkled on top, stirred into the soup or placed on the side. Finely chopped: boiled eggs, cucumber, spring onions, green pepper or peeled tomato.

Give it a few twists of fresh pepper and serve piping hot with your choice of garnish. Enjoy!

Serves 6

2 onions
1 kg sweet potatoes – peeled and cut in large pieces
1 tbls extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic – crushed
a few sprigs of fresh thyme – remove from stems or
1/2 tsp oregano
2 dried bay leaves
1 small dried chili pepper – crushed or chopped finely (optional)
3 inch piece Kombu (strips of Japanese seweed) – soaked in cold water
1 – 2 tbls white miso
fresh ground black pepper
garnish: small bunch or fresh chives or parsley

Method:

Heat a medium size soup pan over medium to high flame. Add olive oil and saute the onions with the garlic, thyme or oregano, bay leaves, and chilli pepper. Reduce heat if necessary to avoid scorching. When onions are glassy and sweet smelling add the weet potatoes and saute for a few minutes. Add Kombu and soaking water plus enugh water to cover the vegetables. Bring soup to boil and remove Kombu. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes until vegetables are soft.

Add the white niso diluted in a little of the hot soup broth. Use a potatoe masher or metal whisk to lightly blend the soup.

Give it a twist of fresh pepper and serve piping hot with your choice garnish.

Enjoy!

Very healthy and utterly delicious. One of our guests’ favorite dishes in Morocco.

Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients:

4 peppers
6 tomatoes
1 chopped onion
Vegetable stock powder
1 can of white beans
Fresh, chopped basil

Place the peppers on an oven tray and place in a hot oven at 180 degrees. After 30 minutes add the tomatoes and roast for a further 30 minutes, or until the peppers are starting to blacken.

Remove from the oven and tip into a bowl. Cover the bowl with cling film so that the skins can be steamed off naturally after about 20 minutes. Then, discard the skins and roughly chop up the peppers.

Place the tomatoes and peppers into a saucepan with the chopped onion and 800ml of water, and a small spoon of vegetable stock powder. Boil until the onion is soft and then add half the can of white beans. Whizz the whole lot in a blender until smooth. Then add the remaining beans.

Serve with fresh chopped basil.

roasted garlic and tomato soup – warm or chilled

Fabulous, warming winter soup or just as delicious chilled in the summer

Serves 4

2 garlic bulbs, broken into cloves (unpeeled)
10 medium-large tomatoes
Splash of olive oil
500ml vegetable or chicken stock
10-12 basil leaves
2 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 200 C/Gas 6. Toss the garlic cloves and tomatoes in a splash of olive oil in an ovenproof dish. Roast them for 40 minutes.

Peel away the skins from the roasted garlic cloves and tomatoes, then put them in a large saucepan with the stock, basil leaves, lemon juice and cayenne. Bring to the boil, then whizz it all up using a handheld stick blender.

Serve the soup hot with chunks of rye bread.

Or place in the fridge until chilled; then serve with chunks of rye bread.