Anybody who knows me knows my answer to EVERYTHING is either a cup of tea or a bowl of soup. This is the time of year where we can indulge in colourful, nourishing foods. Of course nature has it all worked out for us & that’s another reason we should be mindful about eating seasonally. At this time of year when the days tend to be darker & shorter & the nights longer, we have a wealth of ‘eye protective’ vegetables & fruits available. All those brightly coloured squash, pumpkin, potatoes, turnips & carrots are all rich in antioxidant carotenoids. I know I'm not the only one who's parents encouraged them to eat carrots so you could see better in the dark! These vegetables along with many others are also hugely rich in vitamin C which we need to keep our immune system tip top & is especially important over the winter months. So you see, a recipe like the one below, or really any vegetable soup is not only perfect for this time of year but is an easy way to increase the diversity of vegetables in the diet which enables us to access the wide range of beneficial nutrients our body needs for optimal health. If you’re interested to find out more about what is in season right now, I find this website helpful www.eattheseasons.co.uk/ as they not only include vegetables & fruits but nuts, herbs, meat & fish too.
I love making my own soups. I can’t think of anything better on a winters day than a brisk walk & looking forward to a bowl of homemade soup when I get home. There’s never really any great plan, I just use what I have in the fridge, they’re always easy, fuss-free concoctions as I don’t believe in slaving over a hot stove! I like to add herbs & spices when I cook & the cumin seeds in this recipe give it a warming kick without being overpowering. I made this yummy soup last week & it definitely goes to the top of my favourites list.
I’ve posted the recipe below but left the quantities free so you can make more or less depending on your needs. I tend to make big batches as soup can be frozen & its always good to have some on stand-by I think!
Please let me know if you have a favourite soup or if you make my recipe & enjoy it in the comments below…
SWEET POTATO, FENNEL & BUTTER BEAN SOUP
Ingredients:
Sweet Potato
Onion
Fennel Bulb
Butter Beans
Garlic
Turmeric Root
Cumin Seeds
Black Pepper
Olive Oil
Chicken/Veg Stock
Method:
In a roasting dish layer the crushed garlic, turmeric root, onion & sweet potato. I tend to put the sweet potato on the top as it cooks more slowly & this prevents the other ingredients catching when cooking
Add cumin seeds, drizzle generously with olive oil & roast at 180 degrees for 30 minutes
Slice the fennel bulb & add to the roasted veg dish for 10 minutes. I keep the fronds & throw these into the blender as they give a lovely aniseed taste
Remove from the oven & either allow the roasted veg to cool to blend later or put all ingredients (including the butter beans) into a blender & blitz into a lovely thick soup
The amount of stock you use will depend on the final consistency you like
Enjoy with a doorstop slice of sourdough (or two!)