Green Soup

I love to make this after visiting a farmers market, and the ingredients included do vary depending on what is available.
(You can also choose to use whatever vegetables you like, but remember the aim is to go for a variety of greens.)

I try to always include:

• kale
• spinach
• brocoli
• zucchini
• parsley

It is a good idea to wash and prep the vegetables before you start, as they cook very quickly – you want to keep as many nutrients as possible to help boost immunity!

I sometimes start by frying some sliced leek in a bit of olive oil and then add some finely chopped potato and/or Jerusalem artichoke (high in iron), and some ginger, however these are not essential.

After this I add some vegetable stock, or just water and some salt and pepper.  You may need to keep adding liquid as you go until all of the veg is covered.

Then I sequentially add in the woodiest vegetables first, so kale, then broccoli stems, and so on.

You only need to cook the vegetables for a short time, because you don’t want to lose the nutrients –  you just want them to soften.  (If you have included potato or Jerusalem artichoke you do need to make sure they are cooked through.)

I add the parsley just before I use a stick blender to puree the everything to a nice drinking consistency.

The first bowl, when everything is fresh, is the best, but I tend to make a BIG pot and freeze it all in single serves to eat throughout the winter.  I just take a container out in the morning and leave to defrost until lunchtime, when I heat it up on the stove.