Brrrr…it’s chilly.  And wet.  Yesterday and today were predicted to be the coldest days since October with today a minimum of 13 and a maximum of 20 degrees in Sydney.  It’s rather funny that this is considered to be cold (by Sydney standards of course).  With this sudden change of weather I’m already craving the warmth and comfort of soup.  If you too feel the chill in the air, here’s a vegetable packed soup to warm you up.  It has four servings of vegetables per serve and is a good source of fibre, potassium and vitamin C.

Pumpkin and carrot soup with balsamic tomato pesto

Serves 3

Ingredients

1 teaspoon light olive oil

400 grams carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

400 grams pumpkin, peeled and roughly chopped

1 x brown onion, chopped

1 x garlic clove, minced

3 cups salt-reduced chicken stock

balsamic tomato pesto:

50 grams Sandhurst 97% fat free sundried tomatoes + 2 tablespoons liquid

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

pepper

fetta cheese (optional)

basil leaves (optional)

Steps

• Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat
• Add onion, garlic and cook, stirring for 4 minutes
• Add stock and bring to boil
• Add carrot and pumpkin and bring to boil
• Reduce heat to medium low and cover, cooking for about 25 minutes or until vegetables are soft
• Meanwhile make the pesto by blending sundried tomatoes (and liquid), extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a food processor (I use the small food processor attachment from a hand blender)
• When vegetables are soft, blend soup to desired consistency
• Season with pepper to taste
• Serve with a generous dollop of pesto, crumbled fetta and basil leaves

Per Serve (3 servings)

1009 kj, protein 7.4 g, total fat 10.1 g, sat fat 1.7 g, carbs 20.7 g (sugars 16.4 g)