November is the month to make some good warm dishes to go with the cold days. We like to fill up on good vitamins by making the most out of seasonal vegetables.
Soup is a dish that we like to have during the week, it is easy and quick to make. In less than 30 minutes we can serve a high-quality meal for the whole family and we can also do more with it such as taking it to work the next day in a glass jar.
My little secret hides in the way I cook vegetables, if you wish to make the most out of the good vitamins in your vegetables, I can think of two advices to give:
- Buy local and seasonal vegetables. By reducing the transport of the vegetables, we can also reduce the time between the time of harvesting the vegetables and the time of cooking them in the kitchen. For example, fresher vegetables contain more vitamins and minerals than older vegetables.
- The cooking of vegetables. If you overcook your soup, all the vitamins sensitive to heat will go up in smoke. It’s best to cook your soup over medium heat, and turn off the heat just before the vegetables are soft. If you have enough time, I advise you to lower the heat and let your soup cook very slowly, and turn it off when the vegetables are still “al dente”. Probably one of the best ways of making the most of the richness of “cooked” vegetables!
Carrot and sweet potato soup with kale pesto
This soup is made from three main ingredients: carrot, sweet potato and onion. The combination of carrot and sweet potato makes the soup very mild and creamy in taste. To enhance the flavours, I chose to make a little kale pesto, another seasonal vegetable filled with good vitamins and minerals. The pesto is made in such a way as to keep the ingredients raw for a little boost in energy.
To complete the dish, we finish with a touch of crunchiness by adding a few seeds as decoration.
As you may have guessed, there’s nothing boring about this soup!
- 5 carrots
- 1 onion
- 1/4 sweet potato
- 2 sprigs kale
- 1 handful whole almonds
- 10 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 tbsp coconut cream
- 1 handful seed mix (sunflower seeds, squash seeds etc.)
- Start by making the soup. Wash and peel the vegetables. Cut them into slices (5-10mm). Finely chop the onion. Pour the vegetables into a saucepan and add water until half of the vegetables are covered. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. Check if the vegetables are cooked by inserting the tip of a knife into them.
- Meanwhile, wash and finely chop the kale. Pour all the pesto ingredients into a bowl and mix (with a hand blender for example) until all ingredients are blended. Adjust the quantity of olive oil as needed.
- Pour the soup into a blender and blend until smooth. Serve the soup in bowls.
- Add a bit of pesto in the middle your bowls and decorate with a few seeds and a drizzle of coconut cream. Serve immediately.
What do you think?