Green Goddess "50 Calorie" Soup - Lavender and Lovage

Green Goddess “50 Calorie” Soup

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

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.