Ingredients

1 leek

1 onion

2 sticks celery

5ml olive oil

2 heads broccoli

6 medium zucchinis

1lt vegetable stock

4 slices low GI seed loaf bread

100g fat free cottage cheese

Method

Step 1: Dice onion, leek, and celery. Add your diced veg to a saucepan with olive oil, and sauté until soft.

Step 2: In a separate saucepan bring the vegetable stock to a boil. Add sautéed celery, onion, leek, broccoli heads, and chopped zucchini. Cook until just soft.  Remember while cooking the vegetables do not cover with a lid as you will lose the vibrant green colours of your veg.

Step 3: Remove vegetables from stock using a slotted spoon. Place the vegetables into blender.  Blend adding a little of the stock at a time to the vegetables, this allows you to keep an eye on the consistency of the puree. You don’t want a watery soup.

Step 4: Once the soup is pureed, remove from blender and strain. Once strained place puree into a saucepan and bring to a simmer.

To season add the cottage cheese and serve with a slice of low GI seed loaf bread. I have used fat free cottage cheese as it is a healthy alternative to other cheeses. If you don’t want the healthier version thicken the soup, with a bit of cream and add Stilton cheese.

I have used broccoli, and Zucchini in my dish as green vegetables are very healthy and considered very healing vegetables, which inturn are good for the healing for the body.

Healthy dietary tips:

1.  Drink up to 8 cups (250ml) of water a day, 2 litres in total.
2. Don’t use to much salt in your diet and avoid processed foods. As high levels, of sodium (salt) lead to water retention and high blood pressure, which causes loss of elasticity of blood vessels and can trigger the loss of calcium which causes thinning of the bones.
3.  Try to increase the intake of fatty fish, as it contains omega 3, which is very good for the mobility of your joints. Eg.: mackerel, sardines, pilchards

Rob Douglas
 (Chef)