Naturally Nourished and Kid-Approved Broccoli Basil Broth with Noodles

Today on the blog, I’m sharing a review of Sarah Britton’s new release Naturally Nourished and one of my family’s current favourite recipes from the book – Broccoli Basil Broth with Noodles.

I’m sure a lot of my blog readers will already have heard of Sarah Britton. She is the creative force behind the hugely popular vegetarian blog My New Roots and launched her debut cookbook, under the same name, in 2015. Responding to her readers’ requests, her follow-up cookbook is filled with recipes and inspiration for weeknight cooking, using easy-to-source ingredients.

Though Naturally Nourished is a vegetarian cookbook, by far the greatest majority of the recipes are vegan (I counted 89), plus most of the non-vegan recipes can be easily “veganized” by switching the dairy cheese or yogurt for their vegan counterparts.

Sarah’s style of cooking really appeals to me as it focuses on using natural, whole food ingredients. This is the kind of food that my family loves to eat and we thrive on it. After eating meals like this, I always feel highly energised and great ‘on the inside’. I tend to make all our meals from scratch, so I’m always on the look out for simple, whole food recipes that are easy to throw together.

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Smoky Yellow Split Pea Soup

Happy New Year everyone!

I hope you had a wonderful break over the festive holidays. I spent a magical five days with my mum and her three dogs in Verwood, Dorset. It was so relaxing, which was just what I needed after a busy year finishing the cookbook.

We went for daily walks in Verwood Forest, had a glorious day on Bournemouth beach, and spent our evenings watching films and munching our way through all the Christmas goodies. As you may have seen on my social media channels, I was totally spoilt by family and friends this Christmas and received lots of beautiful boxes of vegan chocolates. Needless to say, most are empty now.

And after all the excesses of the festive season, this month I’m looking forward to getting back to my favourite way of eating – simple meals filled with natural ingredients and packed full of flavour and nutrients.

To kickstart my recipe shares for January, I have one of my family’s favourite winter-warming dishes – Smoky Yellow Split Pea Soup ❤️

Not only is this soup easy to make, but it’s incredibly cheap too. A 500g bag of Suma yellow split peas costs £1.15 and we only use half a bag in this recipe. Add in the remaining ingredients and this soup costs about £2.25, which works out at 56p per portion. Bargain!

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Sweet Beet “Love” Soup

With its sweet, earthy flavour and deep purple colour, I have always been strongly attracted to beets.  In my childhood, my favourite salad ingredient was my Dad’s home grown beetroot, freshly pulled from the garden.

beetroot-uprooted copy

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But little did I know as a child how good they were for my health.  I only recently discovered that beets are actually a super food.  Well I never!  Here’s what I’ve learned…

1. Beets are packed with vitamins and minerals
They contain a huge array of nutrients, including potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, vitamins A, B & C, beta-carotene, beta-cyanine and folic acid.

2. Beets are rich in antioxidants which help to protect against disease
Beets are a very good source of antioxidants vitamin C and manganese.  They also contain a powerful group of antioxidants called betalains, which can help in the prevention of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and inflammation. (It’s the betalains that give beets their deep red colour).  The nitrates contained in beets can also help to lower blood pressure.

3. Beets cleanse the body
Beets are a great detoxifier, tonic for the liver and blood purifier.

4. Beets help your mental health
Beets, like chocolate, contain trytophan, a substance which is known to relax the mind and create a sense of well-being.  The betalains contained in beets have also been used in certain treatments of depression.

5. Beets boost our brain power
Beetroot contains high concentrations of nitrates, which are converted in the body into nitric oxide.  This helps open blood vessels in the body, increasing blood flow and oxygen.  Nitrites also increase blood flow to the brain, which may help to prevent dementia.

6. Beets are energy boosters
Beets are a great source of complex carbs and slow-release energy.  The natural nitrates found in beets also help to increase our oxygen intake and energy levels.

7. Beets enhance our physical performance
Studies have shown that the nitrates in beets can enhance physical endurance.  In one study, cyclists who drank 500 ml of beetroot juice were able to ride up to 20% longer.

8. Beets are great for weight management
Beets are high in complex carbs and fibre, but low in calories, which makes them the perfect food for weight management.

And finally, did you know that…

9. Beets are Nature’s Viagra!
The Romans used beets medicinally as an aphrodisiac, and science has proven that beets are indeed a natural Viagra.  Their nitrate content increases blood flow in all areas of the body.  Beets also contain high amounts of boron, which is directly related to the production of human sex hormones.

If you wish to know more, there’s a clip of Dr Oz talking about the health benefits of beets (including number 9!) here.

Getting in the Mood for Love with …

Sweet Beet Soup!

With its deep red colour and wonderful mood enhancing properties, I reckon beetroot would make a wonderful addition to any romantic meal that you might have planned for your loved ones this evening 😉

On tonight’s menu for us, is a starter of Sweet Beet Soup.  Until recently, I’d only ever eaten beetroot in salad but, inspired by Candy’s beautiful blog post called ‘Simple Pleasures’ I was inspired to try my hand at making a beet soup.

Candy kindly allowed me to share her beet soup photo. Isn’t it stunning?

Sweet Beet 'Love' Soup
 

And perfect for Valentines!

You must check out Candy’s post.  It is such a beautiful read!

For my beet soup, I chose to add sweet potato.  As well as adding sweetness and additional nutrients, I find it gives soups a wonderful, silky texture (without the need to add cream or milk).  Furthermore, with the addition of the potato, I find that a bowl of soup is filling on its own, without the need to add a side dish of bread.

For protein, additional flavour, textures and nutrients, I add a sprinkling of shelled hempseeds, lightly toasted pumpkin seeds and dried dill.

Here’s how I make it…

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Sweet Beet Soup

Serves 4
Hands on time: 5-10 minutes    Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
1tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3-4 medium beetroot, peeled and chopped (I use a potato peeler and wear kitchen gloves to avoid getting purple hands!)
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 litre / 34fl oz / 4 cups vegetable stock
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Suggested toppings:
Shelled hempseeds
Lightly toasted pumpkin seeds (I like to lightly toast them in a frying pan with a little extra virgin olive oil)
Dried dill

Method

  1. Gently heat the oil in a large saucepan and sauté the onion until it starts to soften.  Add the garlic, beetroot and sweet potato. Cover with a lid and sweat on a low heat for 5 minutes.  Add the stock, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes or so, until the beetroot is soft.  Allow to cool slightly, then blend smooth.  Add salt and pepper, if desired.
  2. Serve in warm bowls with a sprinkling of seeds and dill.

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[This recipe has been submitted to Ricki Heller’s #Wellness Weekend]

So I’ve got the starter and dessert sorted for tonight’s meal, just got to decide on the main course now!

Are you a fan of Beets? What’s your favourite way of serving them? 

Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day everyone xx

p.s. It’s the last day to enter my Valentine’s Raw Chocolate Giveaway (ends midnight GMT tonight).  I’ve been overwhelmed by all the beautiful comments I’ve received on this giveaway.  Thank you so much guys! You really have made my week!  Since there have been so many entries, I’ve decided to make another batch of chocolates, and I’ll select 3 winners in total.  I’ll post details of the winners on FB and Twitter tomorrow, and also email directly.
Good luck everyone xx

Mexican Black Bean Soup (Vegan / Dairy-free)

The black bean (aka ‘turtle’ bean), is a small, shiny bean that’s highly popular in Latin American cuisine. Here in the UK, though, this little bean tends to get neglected in favour of its big red brother, the kidney bean. It’s a shame because its flavour and texture is way superior to its big brother (in my opinion!) For me, the black bean has a beautiful smoky flavour and ‘meaty’ texture that makes it the perfect bean to add to our home-cooked Latin American dishes.

I think it’s high time we gave this fantastic bean the recognition it deserves!

One of my favourite ways of serving black beans is in a richly flavoured soup. For children, the soup can easily be blended to produce a smoother soup.

For lunch or a light dinner, we like to serve this soup with a couple of segments of toasted wholegrain tortilla.  For a main dinner, we love a slice or two of freshly baked cornbread.

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Serves 4-6
Hands on time: 15 minutes    Ready in: 45 minutes

Ingredients
1 TBSP olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large carrot, finely diced
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp chilli powder (use mild chilli for children)
145g / 1 cup canned or frozen sweetcorn
400g / 14oz can chopped tomatoes
600 ml / 2½ cups vegetable stock (broth)
2 x 400g / 14oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
salt, to taste
cayenne pepper, to taste
2 TBSP nutritional yeast flakes, optional (adds savouriness and extra nutrients)

Suggested garnish:
fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)
red pepper or chilli, finely chopped

Method

 1. Gently heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, sweet potato, cumin, paprika, oregano and chilli powder. Stir to combine, then cover with a lid and leave to sweat on a low heat for 5 minutes.

2. Add the sweetcorn, tomatoes and stock to the pan. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat, partially cover with a lid, and simmer for 20 minutes. When the vegetables are tender, stir in the beans.

3. Remove half of the soup from the pan. Allow to cool slightly, then blend smooth in a jug blender. Return it to the pan and gently heat through.  (Note: small children may prefer their soup completely smooth. In this case, simply add more soup to the blender).

4. Season the soup with salt, to taste.  If you’d like to give the soup a spicy kick, first remove any children’s portions then add a pinch of cayenne pepper.

5. Allow to cool slightly, then stir in the nutritional yeast (this helps to preserve its nutrients).

6. This soup is delicious served with a side serving of toasted tortilla segments and/or corn bread. Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 3 days. The soup may thicken over time, so simply add a touch more water or vegetable stock. It also freezes well.

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Enjoy!

 

 

Do you cook with black beans? If so, what’s your favourite recipes? If you’ve published any recipes online, do post the links below x

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