Ok. The soup has other vegetables but broccoli is the main star in this healthy bowl of soup.
I’ve been on a soft food diet for a while now and mashed food, porridge, soups and smoothies have been my main go-tos for a quick and easy nourishment fix. I will be posting the other soups too but you can check out some of my smoothie bowl and porridge recipes here and here.
This soup is easy to make. Uses easily available ingredients and is filling enough for a light dinner. Serve it up with some grilled cheese toast or crusty bread and you’re good to go. 🤗
Let’s get started.
Ingredients are:- One chopped red onion, 6 garlic cloves, 2 celery stalks, 2 carrots, 2 large potatoes, chopped and diced. Butter, coriander seeds, dried thyme, salt and Pepper to taste.Heat your pan and add 1 1/2 tbsp of some butter, I added some olive oil so the butter would not burn. Toast one tsp of coriander seeds in the butter, they will be fragrant but make sure they do not burn.Next, add the onion, cook till a bit softened before adding the minced garlic, mix well.Your kitchen is smelling amazing at this time. Now it is time to put in the chopped celery and diced carrot. Mix well and add one tbsp of thyme, some salt and pepper to taste and a pinch of basil too.Next go in the potatoes and the broccoli stalks which you can dice thickly.Once the potatoes are cooked an beginning to soften, add your broccoli florets and one and 1/2 cups of water or vegetable stock. Remember to check seasoning.
Cover and let simmer till everything is well combined, taste then if done to your liking, blend to your prefered consistency.
I usually add a little splash of balsamic vinegar to my soups just to deepen the flavours a bit.
Serve hot in a bowl with grated cheddar cheese on top.
I garnished it with some baobab powder and moringa powder for additional nutrients and to perk it up a bit. They do not affect the soup’s flavour though.
The soup is delicious, colourful and tasty, the kids had seconds. It goes in well with buttered toast, and is perfect for cool days or evenings when you want to a comforting bowl of soup.
What makes this soup perfect? Well, it has a few of my favorite vegetables. It is colorful. It is tasty. It is filling, it’s easy and cheap to make. And it is made with love.
All the vegetables are roasted, which enables them release their sugars and they get a bit caramelized which adds depth to the flavour.
I used 2 cups of pumpkin, one red onion, two carrots, 1 small beetroot, 1 sweet potato, a knob of ginger and whole turmeric, and a few cloves of garlic. Add a small bunch of coriander too. Spices used were a tsp each of coriander seeds, dhania jeera powder (ground cumin and coriander), salt and a pinch of white pepper.
To begin. Preheat your oven to 180 °C. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray some olive oil on it.
Clean and chop your veggies and arrange them on the tray. Spray a bit more oil on them. Sprinkle the salt and pepper and the coriander seeds and little bit of parsley.
Bake in the middle rack for 30 minutes until they are ready and a bit caramelized. They smell amazing when you remove them from the oven. I love the colors too.
As the veggies roast. Crush the garlic, ginger and turmeric together and chop your onion.
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a medium saucepan and add the onion. Let it sauté a while. Then add the ginger garlic mixture and the coriander stalks. Add the dhania jeera and a bit of salt and pepper. Mix well.
Let the onions soften before adding the ginger and garlic and let them cook down too. Add your roasted veggies, then 3 cups of vegetable or chicken stock. If you don’t have some you can use water instead but not too much. Just enough to cover the vegetables.
Cover and let simmer for 15-20 minutes for the flavours to mix well. Once ready, check seasoning and adjust if necessary.
Blend the soup to your desired consistency. Garnish and serve.
It was quite thick which is fine if it’s for a main meal. I garnished with some spicy roasted chickpeas, coriander leaves and a dollop of natural yoghurt.
You can have this soup as it is for a light lunch or add a bun for a light dinner.
I do not know how to describe how delicious and comforting this bowl of soup is. You have to try it to believe it.
The sweetness of the pumpkin, carrots, beetroot and sweet potato blend wonderfully with the zing from the ginger, the coriander seeds and white pepper and the tangy yoghurt flavour. The roasted chickpeas add crunch and a lovely different texture …
The soup looks, smells and tastes amazing!
Don’t just take my word for it, try it and let me know how it goes.