Beta Carotene Boost Soup

For five people (quantities for ten are given below)

1 large onion
2 medium-sized sweet potatoes
750g butternut squash
1 red or yellow pepper (about 100 g)
250g carrots
1 medium-sized bunch of parsley
2 garlic cloves
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp cumin seeds
250g tofu, diced
1 bay leaf
3-4 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
1L water
2 cubes vegetable, chicken or beef stock cubes, crumbled
1 bunch of spring onions
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sesame seeds
bread, to serve (optional)

Method

1.Peel and wash the vegetables. Roughly chop the large onion, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, pepper and carrot and reserve them. Finely chop the parsley and garlic and reserve each separately.
2.In a large, deep saucepan heat the vegetable oil over medium-low heat, add the onions and cook until they soften, stirring occasionally. Be careful not to let them brown.
3.Add the garlic, cumin, diced tofu and a bay leaf and cook for 3 minutes.
4.Add the spring onions and prepared vegetables and the Parmesan cheese, if using, and gently stir with a wooden spoon until the aromas develop.
5.Pour in the water and crumbled stock cubes. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and simmer gently until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6.Discard the bay leaf. Puree the mixture in a food processor or blender to a rich, creamy consistency. It will have a vibrant yellow colour.
7.To serve, pour the soup into a serving bowl, or individual bowls, drizzle over the olive oil and sprinkle over the sesame seeds. Accompany, if wished, with bread.

Each serving provides:
Kcal: 182
Protein: 7.5g
Fat: 7.7g (of which saturated fat 1g)
Carbohydrate: 21g (of which sugars 14.4g)
Fibre: 5g

Nutrition Points:

a) This dish contains high amounts of vitamins A, C and E.
b) This dish contains a medium amount of folate.

Serving suggestions:

a) This soup is a substantial starter for a larger meal. It can also be a meal on its own, but do serve it with a piece of bread & butter to increase the soup’s caloric content. Dessert afterwards also helps increase calories – and pleasure!
b) This soup is very high in natural sugars so it has a high glycaemic index. To balance the sugars, add some protein & fat. A good way to do this would be by adding a large dollop of cream or plenty of grated cheese along with some seeds & nuts.
c) Another way to balance this soup’s natural sugars would be to stir in some canned beans, thereby increasing the protein content. Just make sure you don’t choose canned ‘baked’ beans to stir in, because they have lots of added sugar!

For ten people

2 large onions
4 medium-sized sweet potatoes
1.5kg butternut squash
2 red or yellow peppers (together about 200g)
500g carrots
2 medium-sized bunches of parsley
3 garlic cloves
6 tbsp vegetable oil
500g tofu, diced
2 bay leaves
3 tbsp cumin seeds
6-8 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
2L water
4 cubes vegetable, chicken or beef stock cubes, crumbled
2 bunches of spring onions
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp sesame seeds
bread, to serve (optional)

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