Recipe | Green goodness soup

Recipe and words from Plant-Based Goodness by Tracey Bennett (The Reckless Foodie)

This is a gorgeous soup — very green and full of goodness! For our growing children I called it Goblin Soup and they literally ‘gobbled’ it up! And still do, I might add.

I use my stick blender to make this one velvety smooth in consistency. Some soups are better this way — blending this one allows the flavours to sing (and the goblins to dance . . .). Try it, it is surprisingly stunning — as well as being completely oil-free if you use the ‘dry-fry’ method.

It can be enjoyed in autumn, winter or spring because you can switch up the ingredients depending on what is seasonal, as long as everything is green and full of goodness.

Green Goodness Soup - Tracey Bennett

Serves 4-6
OF, GF, SF, NF & FF

Ingredients

olive oil for frying (optional)

2 medium to large onions, diced

2–3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 leek, sliced (optional)

1 head of broccoli, broken up

4–6 zucchini (courgettes), cut into rough chunks

6–10 large spinach leaves

1 cup frozen peas

smidgen of chilli paste or flakes if you like heat (optional)

1 Tbsp organic vegetable stock powder or similar, dissolved in 1 cup boiling water

4–6 cups water

a few jiggles of tamari (2–3 Tbsp)

natural sea salt and cracked black

pepper to taste

Method

If using oil: In a soup pot, sauté onion in oil for a few minutes over medium heat until cooked through and softened.

Dry-fry method for an oil-free soup: In a dry pot, stir and cook onion on a low–medium heat for 15–20 minutes or more, until plenty of brown caramelisation starts to build on the bottom of the pot. Once there is plenty of brown residue under the onions, add a small amount of water (1–2 tablespoons) and scrape the caramelisation off the bottom of the pot so it mixes in the water, creating umami flavour with no oil!

Continue for both methods: Add garlic, and chilli if using, to the pot and stir through for a few minutes.

Add all green veggies and stir to coat everything well.

Add the cup of stock and stir in, then add 4–5 cups of water and bring to the boil.

Add tamari and a good dose of salt and pepper, and let simmer for  20–30 minutes until veggies are soft. Add more water if needed.

Once cooked, you can blend while hot with a stick blender, or let it cool and blend in a normal stand-up blender. Add more water if the soup is thicker than you desire.

Serve as is or with a swirl of coconut yoghurt, a drizzle of lemon juice, salt and pepper and some toasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds.

Chef’s Hint:
This is a great way to use up whatever green veggies are in the fridge on any given day and increase your daily veggie intake to boot.

Goodness Tip:

Green is the colour to heal the liver, and for many people the liver is what starts a gradual decline in health. Look after your liver with this (oil-free) green goodness packed yumminess.

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More recipes by Tracey Bennett — 

Home-made Loaded Hashbrowns + Plant-based feta

Banana Berry Ice Cream

Plant Based Goodness - Tracey Bennett

Plant-Based Goodness by Tracey Bennett

By Tracey Bennett, The Reckless Foodie. Photography and styling by Sophie Merkens. RRP $49.99

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