A Plant based protein packed soup
For most fitness types it can be easy to get sucked into a carnivore style diet, so the idea of going veggie on main meals notion can feel a bit alien. However, there are two solid reasons why you should vary your meat intake try and get your protein from plant based sources. First, it’s better for the environment – studies show that the meat industry accounts for a not inconsiderable percentage of global greenhouse gases. Second, plants tend to be low in Kcals, carbs and fats compared to their meat alternative. My soup gives you around 4 good sized portions with 8g of protein per portion, making it a good low Kcal, fat and carb protein hit. The soup also works brilliantly when not blended, making it a versatile dish – I’ve made simple sweet potato flat breads to go with it for an extra carb hit. Go give it a try!
Ingredients -
Preparation time around 30-40 mins
Soup
1 Leek
100g Frozen Peas
150g Spinach
50g of Kale
6-8 Florets of Broccoli
150g of Red Lentils
1 Veg stockcube
1/2 tbsp of Cumin
4-6 Garlic Cloves
1/2 tbsp Coconut Oil
1 Litre of water
Salt and Pepper
Flatbread
1 Sweet Potato
75g Plain Flour
3/4 tbsp of Baking Powder
Salt
Method -
Prepare all your veg for the soup and flatbread, I would recommend finely chopping the broccoli and leeks if you don’t plan to blend the soup.
For the flatbread, dice one sweet potato and boil in hot water until soft. When soft mash, add salt and leave the tatties to cool down.
Then add 1/2 tbsp of coconut oil to your pot (on a medium heat) followed by your finely diced garlic. Cook this for a few minutes before tossing in the leeks. Let your leeks cook for around 5 mins before adding in the frozen peas & broccoli. When the peas soften, throw in the rest of your veg and season with salt.
Then add your veg stock cube followed by 1litre of hot water and 150g of red lentils to your pot. Lid on and leave to cook for around 15-20 mins on a low to medium heat.
Back to the flatbread, add 75g of plain flour to the mashed potato mix alongside 3/4 tbsp of baking powder. knead the mixture together.
Tear off a fist full of flatbread mix, use the palm of your hand to roll into a ball and then flatten out with a rolling pin.
Now you can cook your flatbread on a hot flat pan, for a few mins on each side.
By this point your soup should also be ready to enjoy or blend!