I, like many many others, have fallen prey to the Covid-Stone. And then I fell prey to another…sneaky wee blighters sneak up out of nowhere!

This time last year I was what could be called a ‘gym bunny’, I guess. I was at Combat classes 4 times a week, Muay Thai training sesions, Yoga, Weights – you name it, I did it. Then I broke my ankle…………by stepping off a kerb. I momentarily considered claiming it was a mountain bike injury, but honesty prevailed and I have had to live with the ”WTF?” responses ever since.

However, taking into account my recovery time, then Covid restrictions, and THEN factor in my love for cooking and it all spirals into me being decidedly more lardy than I’d like.

So I decided I need to have a quick start to losing this weight, as seeing good results on the scales will always motivate me to keep going. My work colleague is following a keto diet and having great results, so I thought I’d do the same.

One small problem – it’s pretty tricky when you’re vegan! However, I do enjoy a challenge, so I’m going for it. So far so good – I’m feeling good, not starving all the time, and I’m losing lbs. Soups help A LOT!!!

This soup was rustled up because I really wanted a tomato soup, only had tinned plum tomatoes in the cupboard and wanted something that didn’t just taste like warm, canned goods!

It’s a lovely light soup with flavours which remind me of my most recent trip to Marrakech. I’d love it topped with roasted chickpeas, but they are sadly not keto-friendly, so I topped mine with Linda McCartney’s shredded chicken, which was really tasty.

Only minor issue is I really want to go back to Marrakech now………..

Recipe

1-2 tbs oil

½ white onion

2 sticks celery

1 large courgette

3 tins whole plum tomatoes – drained off the passata (keep this for making a delicious curry – recipe to follow!)

1 tsp fennel seeds

2 tsp ras-el-hanout

750ml boiling water

3 tsp vegan chicken flavour stock powder (I like Osem)

Salt & pepper to taste

Swirl of canned coconut milk

• Heat the oven to 200C and chop all the veggies.
• Drain the tomatoes (keep the passata), and place in the centre of the pre-heated oven.
• Whilst the tomatoes are roasting sauté the other veggies until soft, translucent and beginning to brown.
• Add the fennel seeds and cook along with the veggies – you should smell the lovely oils being released from the seeds.
• Set your pan aside and wait till the tomatoes are well roasted and beginning to char.  Turn them over at this point and return to the oven to char the other side.
• Return the pan of veggies to the heat, and add the well-roasted tomatoes to the pan.
• Top up with 750ml of boiling water, add 2 good tsp of ras-el-hanout and 3tsp of vegan chicken flavour stock powder.
• Simmer for around 10mins, until all the veggies are completely soft.
• Whiz through a blender, or use an immersion blender to get a nice smooth consistency.
• Season with salt & pepper at this stage if you like.
• Check flavours – you might need or want to add more ras-el-hanout as all are most definitely not created equal.
• Swirl with soya cream or unsweetened coconut milk and sprinkle some fresh parsley over to serve.

Strictly speaking this should be called ‘Three Allium Soup’, but since the leek is the biggest of all three it wins the title!

I absolutely adore soup – combined with homemade crusty bread, maybe some cheese and a few sprinkly, garnishy things and I’m in heaven. The past few days have seen winter come galloping in at an alarming rate, and this is the perfect excuse to stock up on lovely, comforting soups. My freezer always has a few varieties, which is a godsend for no-prep lunches, and those evenings I’m just too tired to cook.

This is an easy peasy soup to make, it takes very little time, and freezes beautifully. It uses courgette to give a silkiness most commonly provided by potatoes in soups like this – so, it’s a great option if watching your calories. As always, it’s totally customizable, so play around with whatever veggies you have to hand and have fun.

Recipe (Serves 4)

1 Tbs flavourless oil

1 onion

4 leeks

3 cloves of garlic

2 sticks of celery

1 courgette

800ml stock (I used vegan chicken flavour)

1/2 can full fat coconut milk

1.5 tsp all purpose seasoning

squeeze of lemon juice

salt and pepper

• Finely chop all the veggies and sautee them in the oil. Don’t add the garlic just yet, as it may end up bitter if it catches.
• Once the veggies are softened add the garlic and cook for a further couple of minutes.
• Add the stock, seasoning and simmer for around 15 mins, then add the coconut milk and let that heat up. Be careful not to let the soup go into a rolling boil as the coconut milk may split. It won’t affect the taste of the soup, but it looks a bit grotty.
• Whizz everything up in a jug blender or use a stick blender – both work well.
• Taste, add the salt and pepper according to your preference, and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten the dish.