“What started as left overs, turned into a treat new,
Vegetables of all sorts, with calories few.
A hearty meal for someone dear, who came from land far,
After days of pizza slices, this bowl must’ve raised the bar…
Warm for the winter, as a curry with bread or rice,
This isn’t just health in a cup, but also taste without vice.
Accidental cooking at it’s best, and a recipe so easy,
Make your own alterations, and leave a comment for me!”
Soup - people love it or hate it. But given the ease and practically no-recipe for coming up with these concoctions (not to mention the health factor!), I had to put this recipe up.
I was waiting for a cousin to come home for dinner. She had been on a vacation, and I wanted to give her something healthy to eat after all the junk on the road. At the same time, I wanted to empty my refrigerator before I left for holiday [chuckle!]. That combination, my friends, turned out to be pretty magical. I pulled out everything from my vegetable tray and created this recipe as I went along. The music definitely helped ;). With bold Indian flavors, a hint of spice & all the 'green' from the veggies, this bowl of deliciousness was too tempting to pass on while I worked on the photos. Honestly, I didn't expect it turn out as good! Slurp.
Health + Taste. This has a winning recipe written all over it.
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Ingredients
2 cups spinach leaves, washed
3 stalks of celery, cut into cubes
½ cup fresh coriander leaves [cilantro], washed
½ red pepper, diced
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small red onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, peeled & crushed
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
Juice from ½ a lemon
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 heaped teaspoon coriander powder
¾ teaspoon cumin powder
½ teaspoon peri peri spice [optional]
4 tablespoons light olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
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Heat oil in a deep nonstick pot. Add ginger & garlic and cook till they brown. Add the onions and cook till they turn translucent. Stir in all the dry spices and roast for a few seconds. Add tomatoes, red pepper & celery. Mix well, cover & cook on medium flame for 15-20 minutes. Stir in between to prevent the vegetables from burning. If the mixture is too dry, add ¼ cup water.
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Once the vegetables are tender, stir in the spinach & coriander leaves. Add 2 cups water and let it simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat, cool and blend. Mix in the lemon juice. To add a crunch, serve with sweet potato crisps [or croutons, but hey I was trying to be healthy!].
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