Doing a PhD means that I don't have a lot of spare time on my hands, and if I do have spare time I feel guilty to use it for anything other than my ever increasing list of mandatory reading. Being stressed and working hard makes it difficult to eat healthy and sometimes there just is not enough time to cook elaborate meals with lots of vegetables. But I have found the solution!!
Once a week I make a humongous pot of soup filled with veggie goodness. Every week I get a box of organic fruit and veggies ( don't I sound posh now? .. well. at least I am healthy ;) ) and whatever is left in the fridge and in need of immediate eating gets turned into soup. This massive pot of soup then serves as lunch for me and the boyfriend throughout the week, as well as the occasional dinner cutting back on meal-prep time when we are really busy with work and study. No matter what veggies you will put in it, it will have lots of vitamins and plant-based proteins, very little fat and calories while it is truly satisfying.
I don't like to have a meal with only fluids, so I need to have something more chunky with my soup. often this can just be a bit of bread or toast, but sometimes something warm and cheesy is truly satisfying. it is even better when it is loaded with ... MORE VEGGIES. my Italian style quesedillas have tons of nutrition and are magnificent with their warm melted cheese goodness.
Although the 'Sunday souping' sounds like a experiment rather than a recipe, there are some soups we really like and tend to come back to. An example of a soup we really like is one with multiple root vegetables and lots of green bits.
For this soup you will need:
1 table spoon of vegetable oil
1 onion - chopped
2 cloves of garlic - finely chopped
500 gr. of carrots
500 gr. of parsnips
a bunch of kale
a head of cabbage
a can of chickpeas
1 tsp of salt
pepper
chili-flakes or chili-powder
1 tsp of nutmeg
some fresh spinach to garnish
What you will need to do
Have all your vegetables cut and ready before you start, this makes soup-cooking way easier.
In a big pot, heat up the oil and add the garlic and onion, and crumble the two stock cubes into the pot. When they start to go a bit brown add the vegetables that have the longest cooking time. in this case carrots and parsnips. cover them in plenty of water and let them cook for a little bit. When the roots are starting to get soft, add in the kale and the cabbage, whilst making sure everything does stay under water. Let this cook on a low fire for another 10 to 20 minutes.
Take your soup off the fire and blend everything until smooth. I typically use a stick-blender but any way you want is fine. This soup should turn a light green because of the kale.
When the soup is liquid and smooth, heat it for a while longer and add in the chickpeas. put in the salt, pepper, chili and nutmeg to taste. if the soup is a bit thick for your liking just add some more boiling water.
Adding in the chickpeas after the blending process makes that the soup has some bite, which makes it even more satisfying! I like to serve a bowl of soup with some added greens such as spinach, this makes it look nice and it is super healthy.
For my Italian-style Quesedillas you will need:
1 tortilla wrap ( I prefer whole meal)
1 tbsp green Basil pesto
tomatoes
spinach
75 grams Mozzarella cheese
What you will need to do:
Put the pesto on the tortilla wrap. On one half of the tortilla, put the spinach and the tomatoes, and put on the mozzarella cheese. Fold the tortilla in half so that the ingredients are covered. Press it down, especially at the sides, to ensure that the fillings will stay in during the cooking.
Heat up a stick-free pan, and put in the tortilla. cook on both sides until the tortilla is golden brown and the cheese is nice and gooey.
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