This soup has piles of vegetable goodness crammed into it. Plus you can easily customise to suit whatever produce you have on hand. The wholesome crackers add delicious crunch. You can dip them or crumble on top.
Serves: 6
INGREDIENTS
1 onion, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, finely diced
2 medium carrots, finely diced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ cup red split lentils
2 medium potatoes, cut into small cubes
1 large kumara (purple or golden), peeled and cut into small cubes
2 litres vegetable stock
2 cups water
1 x 400 gram tin chopped tomatoes
3 zucchini, cut into small pieces
250 grams greens (I used a combination of spinach and watercress)
zest of 1 lemon
juice of ½ lemon
3 tablespoons soy sauce
olive oil, for sautéing
sea salt and cracked black pepper
Buckwheat and sesame crackers
¾ cup brown rice flour
½ cup buckwheat flour
4 tablespoons chia seeds
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon dried herbs (use oregano, rosemary or a blend)
1 tablespoon maple syrup or melted honey
½ cup warm water
¼ cup olive oil or melted coconut oil
METHOD
Cracker method
Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius. Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. Add the wet ingredients and mix well. It can be easiest to do this with your hands. Bring the dough together into a ball. Divide into 4 equal pieces.
Roll out each piece on a well–floured surface until very very thin. Cut into rectangles and place very carefully on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 12–16 minutes. Keep a close eye on the crackers after 12 minutes, checking every 2 minutes until the crackers are lightly golden.
It can be a good idea to remove the ones that cook first beforehand and place the rest back in to continue cooking. Try not to remove the crackers before they are ready as they will not crisp up. Place on a rack to cool.
Repeat the process until all the dough is used. Wait until completely cool before storing in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Soup method
Heat a generous glug of oil over a medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the onion, garlic, carrot and celery. Cook gently, moving often, until tender. Add the tarragon, fennel seeds and cinnamon. Cook for a further minute.
Add the lentils, potatoes, kumara, stock, water and tinned tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes. Stir regularly. Add the zucchini, greens, lemon zest, lemon juice and soy sauce. Simmer for a further 15 minutes. Season to taste.
Kelly Gibney
Kelly Gibney is a food writer, stylist and photographer based in Auckland. For more delicious wholefood recipe inspiration head over to her blog, Kelly Gibney.com.
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