Kitabı oku: «The alli Diet Plan: Your Essential Guide to Success with alli», sayfa 8

Cauliflower and Almond Soup

Serves: 6 Prep: 5 minutes Cook: 25 minutes

125kcal and 4.5g fat per portion

A mild and creamy soup that is scented with bay leaves. It is a great source of calcium from both the milk and the almonds.

500ml skimmed milk

10g (2 tsp) reduced-salt vegetable bouillon

500ml water

160g (1 medium) onion, roughly chopped

4 bay leaves

1kg cauliflower florets, roughly chopped

30g ground almonds

Freshly grated nutmeg to taste

1. Place the milk, bouillon powder and water in a large saucepan.

2. Add the onion, bay leaves and cauliflower.

3. Bring slowly to the boil, cover and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.

4. When the vegetables are soft, remove from the heat and blend until smooth.

5. Return to the pan and add the ground almonds. Add nutmeg to taste.

6. Stir through and serve.

Serving Suggestions: This soup is very pale in colour, so serve in brightly coloured soup bowls with croutons made by drying bread cubes in the oven.

Storage: This soup can be refrigerated for up to 2 days in an airtight container. It also freezes well.

NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS PER PORTION
Energy kcal	125
Protein g	10.2
Carbohydrate g	11.1
Of which sugars g	9.5
Fat g	4.5
Of which saturates g	0.6
Fibre g	3.7
Sodium g	<0.1
Salt g	0.2
Portion fruit and veg	1

Chinese-style Soup with Tiny Pork Balls

Serves: 4 starters Prep: 10 minutes Cook: 15 minutes

112kcal and 3.2g fat per portion

A simple soup that uses the Pork Patties recipe for the tiny balls, so one mixture covers two meals. This is a starter-size portion, but if you are hungry why not make it a main meal by doubling the mixture and adding a bread roll?

750g good-quality chicken stock.

30g celery (1 stick), finely sliced

80g red pepper (about half), finely sliced

30g (about 3) spring onions, chopped into 1-cm slices

60g fine rice noodles

1 tbsp fish sauce

¼ of the Pork Patties mixture (134g) – see Chapter4 for recipe

Black pepper

250ml water

1. Place the stock in a large saucepan or wok and bring to the boil.

2. Add the celery, pepper and spring onions, and simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Add the rice noodles and fish sauce, and continue to cook for 2–3 minutes.

4. Meanwhile divide the Pork Patties mixture into 8 small balls and drop into the hot soup.

5. Boil gently for 5 minutes until the pork balls are cooked through. Season.

6. Serve at once.

Storage: Best served straight away to retain vitamin content of soup, but can be stored for 1 day in the fridge. Must be reheated until piping hot.

NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS PER PORTION
Energy kcal	112
Protein g	6.5
Carbohydrate g	14.3
Of which sugars g	1.7
Fat g	3.2
Of which saturates g	1.1
Fibre g	0.8
Sodium mg	0.8
Salt g	2
Portion fruit and veg	0

Creamy Cherry Tomato Soup

Serves: 4 Prep: 5–10 minutes Cook: 25 minutes

111kcal and 6.3g fat per serving

This soup is a lovely standby to keep in the freezer or fridge. You can make a lower-fat version by leaving out the crème fraîche. Serve it with cubes of bread crisped up in the oven.

1 tsp olive oil

1 medium (160g) onion, finely chopped

2 sticks (75g) celery

750g ripe cherry tomatoes

35g (1 rounded tbsp) tomato purée

1 tsp sugar

350ml chicken or vegetable stock

400ml water

Black pepper

100g reduced-fat crème fraîche

1. Heat the oil in a large non-stick saucepan and gently sweat the onion and celery, stirring frequently for 5 minutes.

2. Wash the cherry tomatoes and tip into the pan along with the tomato purée and sugar.

3. Add the stock and water. (If you are using a stock cube, just use half and 750ml of water to keep the salt level down.)

4. Bring to the boil and then cover, and reduce the heat. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to burst the tomatoes.

5. Blend until smooth. If you like very smooth soup, press it through a fairly coarse sieve.

6. Off the heat, stir in the crème fraîche and serve at once.

Serving Suggestions: Serve with bread rolls spread with low-fat soft cheese and crunchy celery.

Storage: Can be refrigerated for 2–3 days or frozen.

With crème Fraiche

NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS PER PORTION
Kcal	111
Protein g	3.1
Carbohydrate g	11.4
Of which sugars g	10.5
Fat g	6.3
Of which saturates g	3.3
Fibre g	2.7
Sodium mg	240
Salt g	0.6
Portion fruit and veg	1½

Without crème fraîche

NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS PER PORTION
Kcal	68
Protein g	2.3
Carbohydrate g	10.7
Of which sugars g	9.8
Fat g	1.8
Of which saturates g	0.3
Fibre g	2.7
Sodium mg	240
Salt g	0.6
Portion fruit and veg	1½

Curried Parsnip and Apple Soup

Serves: 4 Prep: 5 minutes with a processor Cook: 25 minutes

140kcal and 5.4g fat per portion

A great soup to have in the freezer for cold days when you need warming up.

160g (1 medium) onion, peeled and quartered

1 tbsp rapeseed oil

450g parsnips, peeled

10g (1 heaped tsp) curry paste

750ml water

200g (1 medium) cooking apple, peeled and cored

1. If you are using a food processor, place the onion in the bowl and chop until fine. Alternatively chop finely with a knife.

2. Heat the oil in a large non-stick saucepan and soften the onion for a few minutes.

3. Meanwhile chop the parsnips in the processor until fine, or grate.

4. Add the parsnips to the pan and stir in the curry paste and water.

5. Lastly chop the apple and add to the mixture.

6. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 25 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

7. Blend to make a smooth, thick soup, adding a little boiling water if it is too thick.

Serving Suggestions: Serve with a few dried apple crisps on top and a crusty roll.

Storage: Can be frozen and also will keep in the fridge for 2–3 days in an airtight container.

NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS PER PORTION
Energy kcal	140
Protein g	2.7
Carbohydrate g	20.8
Of which sugars g	12.1
Fat g	5.4
Of which saturates g	0.7
Fibre g	7.1
Sodium g	<0.1
Salt g	0.1
Portion fruit and veg	1

Moroccan Chickpea and Fruit Soup

Serves: 4 Prep: 15 minutes Cook: 30 minutes

185kcal and 4.3g fat per portion

A host of flavours combine to make this soup taste really special. It is almost a meal in itself, just needing some crusty bread to accompany it.

1 tbsp olive oil

320g (2 medium) onions, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp chilli powder

2 tsp ground cumin

400g can chickpeas in water, drained

150g dried apricots, roughly chopped

Grated zest of 1 orange

150ml orange juice

Juice of 1 lemon

75g frozen chopped spinach, defrosted

1 tsp reduced-salt vegetable bouillon

600ml water

1. Heat the oil and fry the onions and garlic in a large non-stick pan for 5 minutes until softened.

2. Add the spices and fry for another minute or two, adding a little water if they start to stick.

3. Stir in all the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally.

4. Simmer, covered, for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. You may want to leave this soup chunky or blend a little for a thickly textured soup. If it is too thick, dilute with a little boiling water.

6. Serve at once.

Serving Suggestions: Leave the lemon juice out of the recipe and pour over the soup as you serve.

Storage: Can be frozen and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Don’t forget that vitamin C declines on storage, so if you are not going to eat it within 24 hours, freezing may be a better option.

NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS PER PORTION
Energy kcal	185
Protein g	8.2
Carbohydrate g	30.3
Of which sugars g	20.6
Fat g	4.3
Of which saturates g	0.5
Fibre g	7.4
Sodium g	0.1
Salt g	0.2
Portion fruit and veg	2½

Pea Soup with Pesto Croute

Serves: 4 Prep: 10 minutes Cook: 15 minutes

170kcal and 5.5g fat per portion

A very easy soup to make, which is also rich in vitamin C, served with a single pesto-covered croute.

2 tsp rapeseed oil

80g (8) spring onions, roughly chopped

450g petits pois, defrosted

600ml water

2 tsp reduced-sodium vegetable bouillon

Few mint leaves

For the croutes

100g baguette, sliced into 4 pieces

20g (4 level tsp) pesto

1. Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan/GM5.

2. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and gently fry the spring onions.

3. After a few minutes add the peas, water and stock, and bring to the boil.

4. Add the mint leaves, cover and reduce the heat.

5. Simmer the soup for 10 minutes, then remove from the heat and blend until smooth.

6. Meanwhile place the bread in a hot oven to become crisp – about 10 minutes – and spread each slice with 1 teaspoon of pesto.

7. Serve the soup with a pesto croute floating in the centre of each bowl.

Serving Suggestions: Without the pesto croutes the soup provides 75kcal and 2.6g fat per portion.

Storage: The soup can be stored for 2 days in the fridge in an airtight container and can also be frozen.

NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS PER PORTION
Energy kcal	170
Protein g	8.8
Carbohydrate g	22.1
Of which sugars g	4.7
Fat g	5.5
Of which saturates g	0.7
Fibre g	5.3
Sodium g	0.2
Salt g	0.5
Portion fruit and veg	1

Pumpkin Soup

Serves: 4 Prep: 15 minutes Cook: 20 minutes

105kcal and 4.9g fat per portion

Pumpkin is a great source of beta-carotene – the plant form of vitamin A that helps protect body cells against damage. If you can’t buy fresh pumpkin or don’t have time to prepare it, look for cans of ready-prepared pumpkin purée.

2 tsp olive oil

160g (1 medium) onion, finely chopped

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp grated nutmeg

1kg peeled and seeded pumpkin, cut into cubes

500ml vegetable stock

50g half-fat crème fraîche

1. Heat the oil in a large non-stick saucepan and gently fry the onion for a few minutes.

2. Stir in the spices and pumpkin, and then add the stock.

3. Bring the mixture to the boil, then cover and simmer for 15–20 minutes until the pumpkin is tender.

4. Blend the soup until smooth then add the grated nutmeg.

5. Stir in the crème fraîche just before serving.

Serving Suggestions: Serve with a granary roll filled with low-fat soft cheese and cucumber for a delicious lunch.

Storage: The soup will keep in the fridge for 2–3 days in an airtight container. It is also suitable for freezing.

NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS PER PORTION
Energy kcal	105
Protein g	3
Carbohydrate g	12.1
Of which sugars g	9.1
Fat g	4.9
Of which saturates g	2.2
Fibre g	3.1
Sodium g	0.3
Salt g	0.75
Portion fruit and veg	1