This is a super easy lunch to make in advance and freeze in lunch sized portions for a convenient, on the go meal. This soup differs from others in that you are not boiling the soup for hours to reduce the liquid down. Instead, you are only cooking the vegetables till they are soft, to preserve more of the nutrients, making a healthier, more nutrient packed meal.

Calories Per Serve: 42

Time To Prepare: 10 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients for the Soup:

• 1 leek, sliced
• 750 ml vegetable stock
• 500 g assorted green vegetables (broccoli, kale, spinach, silverbeet, green beans, zucchini, celery)
• Oil (coconut, olive, grapeseed or macadamia)

Ingredients for the Thai Gremolata:

• A small bunch parsley, chopped finely
• The zest from 1 lemon or 2 limes
• 2 teaspoons fresh grated galangal or ginger
• 1 bunch fresh chopped coriander or thai basil
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 clove fresh raw garlic, smashed
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

• To make the gremolata, simply combine all ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
• Sauté the leek for 1 minute on a low heat with a little water or oil.
• Add the vegetables and the vegetable stock and bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for about 3 minutes.
• Don’t cook these vegetables for too long just long enough to heat through.
• Remove from the heat and blend the soup in a good high speed blender.
• Serve the soup into large deep bowls and sprinkle with combined gremolata before enjoying.

To pump up the protein:

• Add poached salmon or ocean trout chunks in a little stock then place the chunks of omega 3 rich fish on top of the soup.
• For vegetarians add a cup of cooked green peas, lentils or delicate slices of organic silken tofu.

Recipe adapted from Teresa Cutter The Healthy Chef

Nutritional Information Per Serve (without the protein hit):

Protein: 6.4 g

Kilojoules: 173

Calories: 42