Lavender and Lovage

Green Goddess “50 Calorie” Soup Recipe – A Green Smoothie in a Soup Bowl!

- Green Goddess "50 Calorie" Soup Recipe - A Green Smoothie in a Soup Bowl! The other title for this post should have been "you can have your bread and eat it" as this soup is SO low in calories, that when I am on a "fast day" for the "5:2 Continue reading

Green Goddess “50 Calorie” Soup Recipe – A Green Smoothie in a Soup Bowl!

Green Goddess “50 Calorie” Soup Recipe – A Green Smoothie in a Soup Bowl!

Green Goddess “50 Calorie” Soup Recipe – A Green Smoothie in a Soup Bowl!

- Green Goddess “50 Calorie” Soup Recipe -

A Green Smoothie in a Soup Bowl!

Green Goddess “50 Calorie” Soup Recipe – A Green Smoothie in a Soup Bowl!

The other title for this post should have been “you can have your bread and eat it” as this soup is SO low in calories, that when I am on a “fast day” for the “5:2 diet” (where I only eat 500 calories a day) I can actually have this soup WITH a small crusty bread roll! I could have called this ”Lettuce Soup”, but that doesn’t sound that appetising, when in reality it is a lovely bowl of tasty goodness with bags of flavour and with only 50 calories a bowl. It’s almost like a hot smoothie in a soup bowl, and this soup can also be enjoyed when it is chilled, maybe on a hot summer’s day (do they exist any more?!) or when taken a picnic. IN actual fact, this would be a perfect soup for a summer picnic, either hot or cold, just pour it into a flask and make sure you pack some mugs (enamel mugs are good, as they won’t break in transit) and make sure you also pack acres of crusty bread too.

Green Goddess “50 Calorie” Soup Recipe – A Green Smoothie in a Soup Bowl!

I used an assortment of lettuce leaves, herbs and green leaves in this soup – my “lettuce glut” was some Batavia lettuces that I bought from a local farmer’s market and that needed using up. I also added some rocket and a few scraggy ends of watercress; but, the soup can be made from lettuce leaves alone, and if you need an idea of what lettuce leaves would suit this soup, then I have shared some leafy beauties below, from the The British Leafy Salads website:

Leaves that would perfect to use in a soup:

Cos Lettuce

COS and Romaine (Red/Green)

Cos, or romaine lettuces as they are also known, have a long, oval head of tightly packed crisp leaves. They are rich in potassium and also contain carotenoids. They are the perfect and traditional base for Caesar salads. Cos is so called as it is thought it originated on the Greek Island of the same name. (Kos)

Iceberg Lettuce

Iceberg
A pale, round, tightly packed lettuce which has crisp leaves with a refreshing flavour.
British Iceberg lettuce is available from May through to October and reaches the stores less than 24 hours after picking. It stays fresh longer than any other type of lettuce, if kept at a constant cool temperature

Escarole Lettuce

Escarole
A broad leaved kind of frisee, this has crunchy, mild green outer leaves and a pale heart. The flavour is slightly bitter, but less so than frisee. It is good mixed with milder salad leaves.

Frisee-endive

Frisee Endive
This is a spiky firm textured leaf, which is mildly bitter with a slight grainy texture. Also known as curly endive, frisee is a form of chicory, and belongs to the Compositae or daisy family. Traditionally this is combined with poached eggs and bacon in the classic French bistro salad and, mixed with other leaves, provides a great and robust bed for a variety of hot ingredients.

Rocket leaves

Rocket
Thought to originate from southern Europe, rocket is very versatile and great served cold in salads, wilted in pasta or on top of a pizza. Also known as arugula, ruccola and roquette, this thin spiky leaf has a strong peppery flavour and has long had a role in Italian cookery. Dioscorides (40-90AD), the Greek physician and pharmacologist, described the leaf as ‘a digestive and good for ye belly’. It also contains compounds called Glucosinolates which are believed to have a possible protective role against certain types of cancers.

Watercress

Watercress
A member of the Cruciferae family, watercress has a distinctive ‘raw’ flavour, both peppery and slightly pungent. Watercress is the UK’s most historic salad leaf and, unlike other salad leaves, is grown in gravel beds, washed by flowing mineral rich spring water. The ancient Greeks called watercress kardamon and believed it could brighten their intellect, hence their proverb “Eat watercress and get wit”. The leaf is popularly eaten in soup and salads, as well as frequently featuring as an ingredient in detox juices.

Images and information: The British Leafy Salad Association

For salad recipes, visit their sister site: Salad Days – Make More of Salad

Green Goddess “50 Calorie” Soup Recipe – A Green Smoothie in a Soup Bowl!

Don’t let the idea of making a soup with lettuce put you off, if you think about it, it’s no different to using any green leaves such as watercress, chard or spinach, and watercress soup is one of my all time favourites – I shared a recipe just recently here: Thrifty & Organic Meal Planner – Sausage Meatballs, Fennel, Strawberry Jelly, Watercress & Scones Recipes. By using lots of lettuce leaves in this soup, not only are you getting a soup packed with vital vitamins, but, you are also using very few calories too. If you are following the 5:2 diet, as I am, or Weight Watchers (as I am too – on alternate days) then this is JUST the soup for you, and as I said before, you can also treat yourself to a bread roll to accompany it, or maybe some cheeky little croutons! For more of my 5:2 low-calorie diet recipes, click on this link: Lavender and Lovage 5:2 Diet Recipes for Fast Days, there are more tasty soups there, as well as fish, burger, salad, sandwich, egg, kebab, stew, casserole and many more recipes.  That’s all for today, see you soon with more new recipes and chat! Karen 

Green Goddess “50 Calorie” Soup Recipe – A Green Smoothie in a Soup Bowl!

Green Goddess “50 Calorie” Soup

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Serves	4 servings
Prep time	5 minutes
Cook time	30 minutes
Total time	35 minutes
Allergy	Milk
Dietary	Vegetarian
Meal type	Lunch, Main Dish, Snack, Soup, Starter
Misc	Freezable, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold, Serve Hot
Occasion	Casual Party, Halloween
Region	British
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

This amazingly tasty soup is low in calories and packed full of your five-a-day requirements; use any green leaves in this soup, which is a perfect way of using a glut of summer lettuces. The herbs can be adjusted to suit your personal tastes, chives and parsley are also wonderful when added to this soup. Only 50 calories per portion - this soup can be frozen and can also be eaten chilled on a hot day.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, peeled and finely diced
• 600mls home-made vegetable stock (I used Marigold Swiss Low-Salt Vegetable Bouillon)
• 4 spring onions, trimmed and chopped
• 450g to 500g assorted green lettuce & salad leaves (such as Batavia lettuce, Iceberg Lettuce, Watercress, Rocket, Spinach and Nettles)
• small bunch of mint (chopped, about 2 to 2 tablespoons, some left for a garnish)
• 2 teaspoons cornflour (mixed with a little milk)
• 200ml skimmed milk (0% fat)
• salt and pepper (to taste)

Note

This amazingly tasty soup is low in calories and packed full of your five-a-day requirements; use any green leaves in this soup, which is a perfect way of using a glut of summer lettuces. The herbs can be adjusted to suit your personal tastes, chives and parsley are also wonderful when added to this soup. Only 50 calories per portion - this soup can be frozen and can also be eaten chilled on a hot day.

Directions

Step 1	Pour the stock into a large saucepan that has a lid and add the chopped onion and spring onions. Simmer with the lid on for 10 minutes, or until the onions are soft.
Step 2	Add the lettuce and green leaves, replace the lid and simmer for a further 15 to 20 minutes, or until the leaves have cooked down and are soft. Add the chopped mint and cook for a further 1 to 2 minutes.
Step 3	Transfer the soup to a blender or using a hand-held immersion blender, liquidise the soup until it is smooth. Pour the soup back into the saucepan.
Step 4	Add the cornflour and milk paste to the rest of the milk and then add it to the soup. Bring the soup to the boil and then turn down the heat, making sure you stir it continually until the soup has thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Step 5	Serve in warmed soup bowls and scatter some chopped mint over the top of the soup as a garnish.
Step 6	Quick home-made vegetable stock: Simmer a celery stalk, a leek, a couple of carrots, an onion, a bay leaf, some garlic cloves in a litre of water with salt and pepper until they are soft and cooked. Strain the vegetables and liquid into a jug and keep in the fridge until needed. Will keep for up to a week. Use any seasonal vegetables you have to hand.

Green Goddess 50 Calorie Soup

As this is perfect for picnics and is VERY seasonal I am entering it into Anneli  and Louisa’ new Four Seasons Food challenge!

And, as it is made from scratch and is also made with love, I am entering this into Javelin Warrior’s Made with Love Mondays

As well as my own Cooking with Herbs (Herbs on Saturday) challenge!

Green Goddess “50 Calorie” Soup Recipe – A Green Smoothie in a Soup Bowl!