Carrot, Beetroot and Mint Soup | Date Night Series | Starter

If you want to start a healthy relationship, why not do it by starting your date night meal with a healthy yet delicious soup? And I mean both the words, healthy and delicious, with equal emphasis. No more “healthy” soups that taste like under-seasoned liquid cardboard, because we all deserve better, both in love and in food.

If you are not new to the fitness world, ABC juice, aka Apple, Beetroot and Carrot Juice is something that everyone here stands by. So why not just turn this all-time health drink into a delicious cream soup. This Soup is sweet, so I replaced the apple with mint to add some savouriness and cut through the richness.

For more on cream soups: Homemade Soups 101 ­| Broth Basics | Cream Soups

Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Portions: 2

Ingredients:

1. Carrots- ½ cup diced
2. Beetroot- ¼ cup diced
3. Onion- ½ diced
4. Garlic- 2 whole pods
5. Ginger- ½ inch
6. Fresh Mint leaves- 3 tbsp chopped
7. Salt and pepper- To taste
8. Butter- 1 cube
9. Oil- 2 tbsp
10. Milk/Almond Milk- As required

Process:

1. In a pan sauté all the vegetables together with garlic and brown them on high heat. You can even roast them in an oven at 210C for 15 minutes.
2. Pour water into the pan, so that it is enough to cover the vegetables. Cook for 15 minutes on low heat till the vegetables are soft.
3. Once cooked spread it out on a flat plate and let it cool. The next step is to blend, so this step is important as blending hot vegetables can cause accidents.
4. Once it is down to room temperature blend it into a smooth puree and add the mint leaves and blend again.
5. Strain through a sieve. If you feel it is still coarse instead of creamy, blend and sieve again.
6. Now pour the puree back into the pan and adjust the consistency to your liking with milk. If you are vegan feel free to use almond milk or vegetable stock.
7. Season with salt and pepper.
8. This soup is made from starchy vegetables so no thickening agent is required and you can even skip garnishing with cream as well. Instead, crumble feta cheese on top of the soup and garnish with a sprig of mint. Even a simple drizzle of extra virgin olive oil goes a long way.
9. Serve hot with toasted whole wheat bread.

Here’s to a healthy you and a healthy relationship!