Pass the dutchie pon the left hand side..... Thyme for soup!

Ha ha, I like that reggae song. I'm not that in touch with my Jamaican heritage and I haven't been there yet (planning to rectify this in the next few years!). I had no idea what that meant but a 'dutchie' is a cooking pot and the song is about feeding people (not about getting stoned as some people think!).  My surname 'Pottinger' actually means soup maker! Soups can be so comforting on a dark, rainy or cold day and it's a great way to get lots of vegetables into your system.  It's June but it was really rainy today here in London.  I don't mind rain that much as long as I'm not out in it without an umbrella. It makes my hair go frizzy but ah well. Heigh ho. It helps beautiful plants to grow so we must be grateful for it!

Anyway. On to the recipe!

Soup Thyme!

The cool thing about soup is you can just improvise with whatever vegetables you happen to have in your fridge.  I am a bit of a 'make it up as you go along' kindof cook hence why I've not put the exact quantities, I tend to just improvise and learn from trial and error. This recipe includes lentils and almonds so it provides plenty of protein and a variety of amino acids.

Ingredients:

Onions

Garlic (the more the better in my opinion!)

Sweet potato

Chillies

Red peppers

Kale (I've used frozen because I just happened to have some in my freezer)

Creamed coconut (I've used about 12-20g) a little goes a long way

Red lentils

Ground almonds (I had recently made some almond and hazelnut milk so I had saved the pulp). Use around 25-50% of the quantity of lentils you're using

Tomato puree (one tablespoon)

Thyme (I've used dried thyme)

Vegetable stock cube

Sunflower frying oil, coconut oil or rapeseed oil

Method

The texture was a bit weird because of the nut pulp
so I used my stick blender to make it
a bit more smooth

• Finely chop the onions
• Crush the garlic with a garlic crusher if you have one, If you don't you can just chop it
• Fry the onion and garlic in the oil on a low heat for a few minutes, if it starts to sizzle add some water.
• Chop the sweet potato into small pieces and add to the pan
• Chop the red peppers and add to the pan
• Add the dried thyme
• Chop the chilli and you might want to wear gloves whilst doing this. (Note to self, don't chop hot chillies and then take out your contact lenses, ouch!) Add to the onions and garlic.
• Dissolve the stock cube in boiling water. Add the stock to the stir fried onions and garlic
• Add the creamed coconut
• Add the red lentils
• Add the tomato puree and mix in
• Add the kale or any other green vegetable like spinach
• Leave to simmer for around 30 mins
• Enjoy!

Provides plenty of protein, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, fibre, magnesium, iron and antioxidants.  A soup that can seriously improve your day!