Lentil, Butternut + Sweet Po Soup!

Fitness On Toast Faya Blog Girl Healthy Workout Exercise Training Fit Recipe Cooking Soup Spring Vegetable Diet Tasty Idea GAP With the change of seasonal climes comes a more vulnerable immune system; it goes hand in hand with this time of year, and you’ll invariably have noticed more children picking up Spring bugs, more colleagues suffering runny noses etc. Having yearned for the sun for what seems like an eternity, perhaps we’re all a tad too eager to dash outside liberated from our coats and armed instead with little strappy sandals! Well fear not, for today’s post, as part of my ’30 Ways to Goodness’ collaboration with Blue Diamond, covers off a warming and nutritious Spring soup to combat any colds that may be going around and keep your immune system well supported! As ever with my recipes, it requires practically no cooking skills, takes less than 20 minutes from start to finish, and is packed full of ultra-delicious goodness!

As a pescatarian, the proteins and fats accessible via nuts are something I really favour and savour; almonds boast some awesome health credentials, such as being an exceptional source of mono-unsaturated fats (which one tends to associate with a lower risk of heart disease), are naturally rich in plant proteins and fibre, and are also very low in salt and cholesterol. Also, there’s a huge range of critical vitamins like iron, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, potassium and magnesium! What’s more, they’re an undeniably delicious snack just by themselves, so I always carry a small bunch with me in my bag!

I think almond milk is a perfect dairy alternative for those who are lactose sensitive / intolerant. The saturated fat and sugar counts are both lower than in their bovine equivalent, but it still boasts plenty of calcium. As you might have spied from my Instagram recently, I’ve teamed up with Blue Diamond to curate a variety of healthy and delicious recipes made with their Almond Breeze milk. They remain the only almond milk company to grow their own almonds, which is something they do naturally amidst Californian orchards that are drenched in sunshine (n.b. I’ve an unrelated California trip pencilled in now, where I plan to check this out first hand and report back :) ) I also think that there a wholeness to the taste of this almond milk which I love! Incorporating this into my recipe makes for a seriously tasty, natural dish fit for spring time

INGREDIENTS (serves 3-4)

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ onion
1 fresh chilli
2 crushed garlic cloves
150g butternut squash
100g asparagus
150g Sweet Potato
100g Red Lentils
300ml Blue Diamond Almond Breeze1 cube of vegetable stock
1 sprig of fresh rosemary

Fitness On Toast Faya Blog Girl Healthy Workout Exercise Training Fit Recipe Cooking Soup Spring Vegetable Diet Tasty Idea-4

HOW TO?

Fry the onion in a saucepan until soft on medium heat then add the garlic and the fresh deseeded chopped child.
Whilst the onions are frying, peel and grate the sweet potatoes and butternut squash. Add them to the saucepan along with the stock and lentils. Add the seasoning and leave the soup to cook for 15-20minutes on a low heat.
Blend the mixture until smooth (or to a consistency of your preference) with an immersion blender or indeed in a separate blending unit.
Serve and add some garnish – I added a handful of roasted sunflower seeds and some fresh rosemary as well as a collection of steamed asparagus, with a drizzling of truffle oil for a delicious touch of nature!

Faya x