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Recipe: Celery soup with pear and blue cheese
Whenever you find yourself buying a whole bunch of celery just to use a stick or two, make soup. This celery soup with pear and blue cheese uses flavours proven to go well together in a new delicious format. This recipe is gluten-free and can be made vegetarian by using vegetable stock and omitting the bacon. You can make it vegan by using vegetable stock and plant-based cheese, in addition to omitting the bacon. If you don’t like blue cheese, you can use other cheese such as cottage, ricotta or feta if you like mild flavours, or cheddar, gouda or Manchego for a more complex taste profile. If you cheese…
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Recipe: Onion and mushroom soup with lentils
This onion, mushroom and lentil soup is a hearty French-inspired meal for the cooler months. It’s a delicious way to get a good dose of vegetables for the day. The main ingredients in this soup contain dietary fibre and other micronutrients such as vitamin D (mushrooms if irradiated), folate and non-haem iron (lentils). This recipe is gluten-free and vegetarian. It has some protein from the lentils but I’d recommend adding one or two eggs to make it more satiating.
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Recipe: Roasted pumpkin and sweet potato soup
This roasted pumpkin and sweet potato soup is an easy meal packed with Southeast Asian flavours. If you roast the vegetables in advance, you can put it together in no time on a busy weekday. Both pumpkin and sweet potato are a good source of beta-carotene (a precursor of vitamin A) and also contain potassium, dietary fibre, among other micronutrients. This soup is gluten-free and dairy-free. It can be made vegetarian/vegan by substituting the fish sauce for salt or soy sauce. As always, make sure you are adding some protein to make it a more satisfying meal.
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Product review: Hart & Soul broth soups
Hart & Soul broth soups are a great source of nourishment for the colder months of the year. They are low in calories and shelf-stable. Hart & Soul broth soups The million dollar question is: are these broths or soups? Well, they are soups made with broth. Don’t think about them as your typical minestrone or chicken soup, though. They contain vegetables but are mostly broth. These soups come in 350g pouches containing 1 serve per pouch. They are available in major supermarkets and come in 3 flavours: beef, chicken and vegetable. Hart & Soul broth soups are low in energy, gluten-free, dairy-free, low-fat and relatively low-carb. Ingredients As you…
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Recipe: Vegan zucchini soup with corn and coriander
Another soup for me to use up one of my least favourite vegetables: zucchini. This time I came up with a vegan zucchini soup with corn and coriander based on the flavour of Peruvian green tamales. As with my zucchini and leek soup, this one is vegan (therefore automatically dairy-free), gluten-free and low in calories. It is also low in protein so I recommend adding some protein or eating it as a side dish.
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Recipe: Vegan zucchini and leek soup
I have a confession to make: I don’t like zucchini. I can eat it, but it’s not my favourite vegetable. I find it has to be either roasted or sautéed in olive oil for me to like it. This vegan zucchini and leek soup has enough flavour to make me actually want to eat zucchini all day long. This soup is vegan (therefore automatically dairy-free), gluten-free and low in calories. It is also low in protein so I recommend adding some protein or eating it as a side dish. If you’re not vegan, feel free to add some grated hard cheese such as Parmesan or Pecorino for added flavour.
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Product review: Darikay soups
Back in the day, store-bought soups were usually nutrient-poor and full of artificial ingredients (think the old canned one and instant ramen). Fortunately, supermarkets these days offer plenty of healthy alternatives, such as Darikay soups. Darikay soups You will be able to find Darikay soups in the refrigerated section of your local supermarket. They come in plastic containers with 2 serves each. Each container is $6.50 in my local supermarket. The current flavours, according to their website is: Hearty Chicken Soup Chicken & Corn Soup Chicken Noodle Soup Chicken Laksa Soup Hearty Vegetable Soup Classic Pumpkin Soup Italian Minestrone Soup Lentil Soup Thai Pumpkin Soup Tomato, Spinach & Quinoa Soup…
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Recipe: Spiced roasted pumpkin and zucchini soup
Pumpkin is one of my favourite ingredients for soup because it’s versatile, cheap and easy to work with. This spiced roasted pumpkin and zucchini soup is a perfect example of a simple and economical dinner you can make on a weeknight. This soup is naturally gluten-free and can be made vegan if you use dairy-free yoghurt and vegetable stock. Add a source of protein (e.g. boiled eggs, lentils or chickpeas) to round off the meal.
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Recipe: Sopa criolla (Peruvian creole soup)
Sopa criolla (a.k.a. sopa a la minuta) is the Peruvian version of laksa. It’s not as sweet, not as thick, not as tangy, but equally comforting. The alternate name for this soup “a la minuta” indicates that is a quick dish to make (minuto = minute). As most Peruvian dishes, sopa criolla contains onion, garlic and chilli. This base serves to flavour the soup, while the tomatoes provide some sweetness, acidity and body. Other key ingredients are beef (either minced or finely chopped), noodles (usually angel hair pasta) and evaporated milk. The cherry on top is a poached or fried egg. I used vermicelli in this recipe to make it…
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Recipe: Menestrón (Peruvian minestrone)
Menestrón is the Peruvian version of minestrone soup, brought to the country by Italian migrants. What makes this soup Peruvian is the addition of native ingredients, such as potato and cassava. This is a pesto-based version of minestrone (as opposed to tomato-based). In addition to the traditional basil and Parmesan, this pesto features spinach and feta cheese . There are no rules as to which beans and legumes are included in menestrón. However, butter beans and broad beans are very common ingredients. As for the pasta, tradition calls for penne. I recommend using San Remo pulse pasta for a gluten-free, high protein, high fibre alternative.
