Souper Soup

So, it's that time of year again - painful memories of excess over the holiday season are all too raw, and if there are brief moments when you forget, you only have to sense the irritating tightening of the button on your (formerly) favorite jeans, to know that you didn't get away with it unscathed. Sigh.

So in the Farrar house, we mark this time of year with a bit of a purge, involving some nice healthy cooking. And thankfully with Christmas having just made its annual appearance, I have some brand new cookbooks to explore! Nothing makes me happier than reading new cookbooks, and cooking new recipes from them is kind of my idea of heaven.

In line with our current purge mindset, I chose a recipe that seemed low calorie (only 192 per serving) but yet satisfying, so as not to be met with cries of "We'll STARVE" by the other members of my needy family. This one fit the bill perfectly. The recipe comes from my new book Celebrity Chefs, and hails from that doyenne of Italian cuisine, Lidia Bastianich. And before you grimace, yes, I know that 'doyenne' is a French word, but I have no idea what the Italian equivalent is - diva? Whatever, she is, as we say in these climes, a powerhouse. On that we can agree.

My only tweaks were to add a little more parmesan (because, hey, its parmesan, and a purge can only go so far), and to change the rice selection to brown, and since that's healthy, it kind of cancels out the cheese :-) Oh, and I chopped up the spinach, because there is nothing worse than trying to eat soup with long strands of spinach leaves hanging off your spoon! And to fend off starvation, I served it with some bread.

Imagine the aroma as this lot cooks :-)

Lentil and Rice Super Soup
Serves 6 (very comfortably!)

1/2 lb carrots, sliced
3/4 lb onions, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 can (28oz) diced tomatoes in juice
1/2lb green cabbage, thinly sliced
1/4 lb green beans, cut into 1" lengths
32oz chicken/vegetable broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 lb zucchini/courgette, sliced and halved into half moons
6oz baby spinach leaves, chopped
1 cup cooked lentils, drained (can use canned for speed)
1 cup cooked brown rice
3 TBSP grated parmesan

1. Coat a large stockpot with cooking spray. Over medium-high heat, sauté carrots, onions, celery and garlic together for 8 minutes, or until starting to soften.
2. Add tomatoes, cabbage, green beans, broth, 2 cups water, salt and pepper. Stir together and bring to the boil.
3. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Increase heat to high and stir in zucchini and spinach and return soup to the boil.
5. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for a further 10 minutes or until all vegetables are tender.
6. Add lentils and rice and heat through. Add parmesan and check seasoning before serving.

Love me some lunchbox leftovers!