Immunity Boosting Veg Soup

I tend to make a lot of soups, especially in the winter, and freeze any leftovers into individual portions for convenience. They are a great way of using up less than perfect veg in your fridge to make space for your next shop.

This recipe uses lots of antioxidant-rich orange and yellow vegetables, but feel free to use

whatever you have available.

If you want to bulk it up, or if you are vegan and want an extra protein hit, throw in a handful of red lentils when you add the stock.

Please let me know what you think and let me know your favourite winter warmers!

Ingredients

• 1 onion

• 1 yellow or orange pepper

• 1 carrot

• 1/2 butternut squash

• 1 sweet potato

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

• 1 vegetable/chicken stock cube or pot

• 1 dessert spoon olive oil

• 1 tin coconut milk

• Spices: 1/2 teaspoon each of ground cumin, turmeric and cayenne pepper

• Optional: drop of lemongrass extract

• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Chop all the vegetables and gently fry in a large pan for 5 minutes

2. Add the spices to coat and cook for a further 2 minutes

3. Add the stock cube, 500ml of water and the coconut milk to the pan

4. Cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes on a low heat

5. Blitz the soup either in a blender or with a stick blender and season well

6. Serve topped with toasted seeds for added crunch.

Health benefits

• Orange and yellow vegetables are high in antioxidants including carotenoids and vitamin C to boost your immune system, protect your vision and guard against cancer

• Spices like ginger, turmeric, cumin and cayenne contain antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds to fight infection

• Garlic is packed full of vitamin B6, manganese, selenium and vitamin C. It can also lower blood pressure and contains anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties.