Allotment Soup (5:2 Diet) 100 calories

Serves	4
Prep time	10 minutes
Cook time	45 minutes
Total time	55 minutes
Dietary	Vegetarian
Meal type	Appetizer, Lunch, Main Dish, Side Dish, Snack, Soup, Starter
Misc	Child Friendly, Freezable, Pre-preparable, Serve Hot
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

This is a semi smooth soup which is only 100 calories per bowl, making it perfect for the 5:2 diet ~ I blended half the soup and then kept some of the vegetables whole for texture……and I spiced it up a wee bit by adding some Smoked Paprika (Pimenton) for an Autumnal kick in the soup bowl! The list of ingredients in my recipe is not definitive by any means, use whatever you have in your allotment or whatever you receive in a large newspaper wrapped parcel….it’s just that this combination worked so well and there is one thing to be said for red and orange soups, they are jolly, happy and gay to look at ~ they cheer you up before that spoon even reaches your soup parched lips!

Ingredients

Fry Light - Extra Virgin Olive Oil Spray, 4 sprays (4 calories)
300g mixed fresh peppers: red, green and yellow, de-seeded and chopped (73 calories - red peppers and yellow peppers have more calories than green; these calories are based on equal quantities of red, yellow and green.)
400g tomatoes, roughly chopped (72 calories)
2 courgettes, small, chopped (27 calories)
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped (92 calories)
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped (50 calories)
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped (16 calories)
400ml of stock made with 4 teaspoons of Marigold Swiss vegetable stock powder (48 calories)
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (5 calories)
salt and pepper to taste

Note

NB: 4 cubes of seasoned croutons = 5 calories (8 cubes = 10 calories extra)

Directions

Step 1	Spray the olive oil into a large saucepan and add all of the chopped and diced vegetables. (Skin the tomatoes by placing then in hot water for 1 minute, then remove and slip the skins off them before dicing)
Step 2	Put the lid on the pan and cook over a high heat for about 5 minutes or until the tomatoes have released their juices and the onions are slightly softened. Pour in the hot stock and add the smoked paprika, season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer over a low heat for 45 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and ladle half of the soup into a blender or bowl; whizz it all up in the blender or purée with a stick blender in the bowl until smooth, then pour the soup back into the saucepan.
Step 3	Gently reheat, adjust seasoning before serving in warm soup bowls with chopped fresh herbs and croutons. 100 calories per bowl, and makes four generous servings. 4 cubes of seasoned croutons = 5 calories (8 cubes = 10 calories extra)