Root Vegetable And Allium Winter Soup

A hearty winter soup using up the root vegetables in the pantry. Eating seasonal food is not only good for the environment, but it tastes better and if often higher in nutrients like antioxidants and phytonutrients.

Vegan (or vegetarian if you use parmesan) | Easy | Prep time 15 minutes | total cooking time 40 minutes | serves 3-4 depending on portion size | Blender required

Ingredients:

x1 celeriac peeled into ribbons. Make sure you peel and discard the outer layer first

A large bunch of collard greens chopped

x1 shallot chopped finely

x3 cloves of garlic (add more if you like it really garlicky)

x1 medium sized potato chopped into small pieces

x2 tbsp of nutritional yeast

Salt and pepper

x1 juice of lemon

1.5 tbsp grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees

2. Add the garlic and shallots to a baking tray, drizzle in olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for approximately 35 minutes

3. Squeeze the lemon juice onto the chopped celeriac and collard greens, and leave to cure for around 10 minutes

4. In a large frying pan lightly stir fry the collard greens and the celeriac in olive oil, and season with salt and pepper

5. Add the grated parmesan cheese to the celeriac and greens once cooked

6. Boil the chopped potatoes in slightly salted water for around 13 minutes

7. Once all the ingredients are cooked add them to a blender with the nutritional yeast and blitz to your preferred consistency. I like little chunky bits left in my soup.

8. Then add to a large saucepan heat up the required amount

9. Serve in bowls and season with salt and pepper

Alliums are onions, shallots, garlic, leeks. These are commonly used culinary staples because of their strong flavour, but they also contain a large amount of therapeutic properties due to their high phytochemical content.

Researched benefits of alliums include: anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, cholesterol lowering, liver detoxification and healthy microbiome support.