Root Vegetables, Celery & Spinach Soup

Excellent soup for bone health and tastes good too!

Serves: 6

Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 35 minute Total time: 50 minutes

Suitable for: Vegetarians, vegans and those on a gluten free diet.

Serve with a slice of my favourite bread - Vegan Date & Nut Loaf

Root vegetables, Celery & Spinach Soup served with lightly toasted slices of my Vegan Date & Nut Loaf

Ingredients:

3 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 medium onions, peeled, quartered and sliced finely

2 cloves garlic, crushed

½ green chilli, roughly chopped

¾ teaspoon salt

400g destalked spinach (I used young spinach, mustard, kale leaves from my garden), washed and chopped roughly OR 400g of frozen spinach, defrosted

1 medium sweet potato (150g prepared weight), peeled and diced finely

1 medium/large parsnip (150g prepared weight), peeled and diced finely

1 large carrot (150g prepared weight), scrubbed and diced finely

small fennel (75g prepared weight), prepared and sliced finely

3 celery stalks (150g), washed and sliced finely

1.1 litre vegan/vegetable stock

Juice of ½ - 1 lime according to taste

Ground black peppercorns to taste

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onions and fry on gently heat until onions are soft.

2. Add the garlic and chilli, stir and cook for a minute or so.

3. Add the vegetables except the spinach. Stir to coat with the onions. Cover the pan with its lid and gently cook for 10 minutes stirring half way through the process.

4. Add the salt, stir, then add the spinach. Stir through to combine with the vegetables.

5. Add the stock, bring to the boil, cover the pan and simmer gently for 15 minutes until the root vegetables are cooked through and soft.

6. Remove from the heat and blitz in a blender until smooth.

7. Return to the pan, add ground peppercorns and lime juice, warm through on gentle heat until soup returns to almost boiling point.

8. Serve piping hot with lightly toasted slices of my Vegan Date & Nut Loaf!