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Spring has officially sprung in London – but it’s still snowing 🙁 Therefore I’m holding back my ‘summery’ recipes (hopefully not much longer) and instead I’m making a nutritious ‘Pea Soup’ which will help keep you warm during this snowy, cold, english March!
The soup is quick to make (c. 15minutes), consists of only 4 ingredients and costs under £5 for enough soup to feed 4 hungry people! The main ingredient is of course the environmentally-friendly little powerhouse, the pea. Remarkably, it’s packed with goodness for such a little guy! They’re great for weight management (a mere 81 calories per 100 grams), with 0 fat, 0 saturates, 0 trans-fats, and 0 cholesterol. Plus they’re comically low in sodium (3mg/100g serving, which is about 0% of your GDA). Peas are also relatively high in protein (c.5g per 100g) bearing in mind their very low calorific value, and that helps with cell repair and muscle regeneration. The high fibre content (c. 5g/100g) aids digestion, and together with protein helps to regulate blood sugar levels to avoid peaks & troughs in energy levels! They’re also a great source of omega 3 fats (in the form of “alpha -linoleic acid” which sounds grand, but can effectively lower the risk of cardiovascular disease). They also contain high amounts of healthy ‘polyphenols’ which have been shown to lower the risk of stomach cancer. Best of all though, peas are packed full of antioxidants including ‘flavonoids, cartotenoids and polyphenols’, all of which are hugely immune boosting, anti-ageing and can prevent or reverse the risk of diabetes. No to mention plenty of Vitamin A, manganese, vitamin c, Vitamin B1, phosphorus, iron and much more!
The remaining three ingredients are just a single onion (a good source of immune-boosting vitamin C, dietary fibre vitamin B6, Folate and potassium), broccoli (antioxidant-rich for immune health, with dietary fibre to aid digestion, and vitamin A for healthy vision) and my personal favourite ingredient, 0% fat greek yoghurt from Total, which contains a mere 57 calories per 100ml giving the soup a rich creamy velvet texture, without the guilt!
I top it off with a tiny bit of horseradish but if that’s a bit too strong in flavour department, try some smoked salmon, dill, chives or feta cheese! When coughs & colds are going around this March, this hearty pea soup is the perfect way to fend it all off! Bon ap!
Faya x
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