Winter warmers

With winter well on its way- here are some ideas for delicious soups to warm you up. Soups easy to make, cheap and freeze well- making them a convenient choice when your schedule gets busy. They’re also usually packed with vegetables- which makes them a great way to help get in fibre, vitamins and minerals. The recipes below are all vegetarian- great for the budget and to help you get in a 'Meat-free Monday.'

Bean and barley soup

Beans, barley and chickpeas are all great sources of fibre- which is needed for gut health and has shown to reduce the risk of certain kinds of cancer, such as colon cancer. Barley, in particular, has been shown to have a beneficial impact on cholesterol.

Ingredients

2 tbsp. of vegetable oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed

400g of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes

500ml vegetable stock

250g pearled barley

1 can of butter beans, drained and rinsed

100g of baby spinach

Method

Heat oil over a medium heat and add onion and garlic. Cook until soften

Mash half of the chickpeas and add to the pan with tomatoes, stock and barley.

Top up with a can of water and bring to the boil. Reduce and simmer, covered for about 45mins or until the barley is tender. Add more liquid if required.

Add the remaining chickpeas and butter beans.

After a few minutes add the spinach and cook until wilted

Season to taste

Cauliflower Soup

High in fibre, Vitamin C and K and folate—Cauliflower is a great veggie to include in a delicious soup.

Ingredients

1 head of cauliflower

2 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 tablespoon of cumin

1 teaspoon of paprika and cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

1 onion

3-4 potatoes

1l of vegetable stock

250ml of low fat milk

Method

Roast the cauliflower and garlic with spices, oil and salt and pepper until soft

Fry onion until soft. Add the potatoes and fry for 5 min

Add cauliflower, milk and stock and simmer until potatoes are soft.

Puree until desired consistently.

Lightly spiced carrot soup

Carrots are packed with Vitamin A which helps to support vision, the immune system, healthy skin and reproduction.

Ingredients

1 tbsp. of vegetable oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Knob of fresh ginger, grated

1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped

1 tsp of mild curry powder

1 kg of carrots, trimmed and sliced

2 lemongrass sticks, bashed

2 strips of orange zest

400g can of coconut milk

700ml vegetable stock

Method:

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add onion, garlic, ginger and chilli and cook for 3-5 mons until soft

Stir in the curry powder, followed by the carrots, lemongrass and zest. Cover and cook for 10mins over a low heat.

Add coconut milk and stock. Bring to the boil, turn down and simmer for 15mins until carrots are soft.

Remove the lemongrass and zest and then puree until desired consistency