Autumn Broth

Serves	4
Prep time	10 minutes
Cook time	50 minutes
Total time	1 hour
Dietary	Vegetarian
Meal type	Lunch, Snack, Soup, Starter
Misc	Child Friendly, Pre-preparable, Serve Hot
Occasion	Casual Party, Halloween, Thanksgiving
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

Hearty and yet low in calories, this vegetarian broth (or soup) makes a wonderful autumnal lunch or supper dish, and is perfect for those following the 5:2 diet, for fast days, as well as those on weight watchers. You can eat this with crusty bread, crackers or even add dumplings, and, the broth can be liquidised to make a creamy vegetable potage. Weighing in at an incredible 98 calories per portion, you can have your soup AND bread now on a low calorie day!

Ingredients

4 small carrots (5-1/2" long) (peeled and diced)
Tomato Paste, 1 Tbsp
1 teaspoon Mixed Dried Herbs
Marigold - Swiss Vegetable Bouillon Powder, 15 g (mixed with 300mls water)
1 small fennel bulb (trimmed and sliced)
2 medium cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
3 small tomatoes (roughly diced)
2 medium onions (peeled and finely diced)
1/2 white cabbage, about 110g (sliced in half and then finely shredded)
1 leek, about 90g (cleaned and chopped)
salt and pepper, to taste

Note

Hearty and yet low in calories, this vegetarian broth (or potage) makes a wonderful autumnal lunch or supper dish, and is perfect for those following the 5:2 diet, for fast days, as well as those on weight watchers. You can eat this with crusty bread, crackers or even add dumplings, and, the broth can be liquidised to make a creamy vegetable potage. Weighing in at an incredible 98 calories per portion, you can have your soup AND bread now on a low calorie day!

Directions

Step 1	Place all the vegetables into a large pan with 2 to 3 tablespoons water, and place over a low heat with the lid on the pan; simmer for about 10 minutes, and then add the vegetable stock with the tomato paste, bring to the boil and gently boil for 20 minutes until the vegetables are nearly soft.
Step 2	Season to taste with salt and pepper, and then add the herbs, replace the lid and simmer for a further 15 to 20 minutes until the vegetables are soft and the broth has reduced slightly, so you are left with a chunky stew.
Step 3	Serve straight away with bread, croutons or crackers, or, allow to cool slightly and liquidise - this will then be a potage rather than a broth. Pour the potage back into the pan and gently reheat without boiling.