If only all comfort food was this healthy! High in fiber, with a low estimated glycemic load, and packed to the brim with the antioxidant vitamin A, this is a perfect weight-loss dish that is so comforting…it is hard to believe it is this good for you!
Pumpkins are not just for Halloween: Pumpkin fruit is one of the most widely grown vegetables that are incredibly rich in vital antioxidants and vitamins. Like their orange comrades the sweet potato and the carrot, pumpkins boast the antioxidant beta-carotene. Loaded in fiber to keep you full for longer, yet extremely low in calories, pumpkins are simply perfect for helping you lose weight. Any type of pumpkin will do for this recipe. Use vegetable stock if you prefer this as a vegetarian soup!
A bit more about vitamin A: Vitamin A is the name of a group of fat-soluble retinoids, involved in immune function, vision, reproduction, and cellular communication. Two forms of vitamin A are available in the human diet: preformed vitamin A (found in animal foods) and pro-vitamin A (mainly found in plant sources) which the body converts into Vitamin A.
By far the most well-known provitamin A is beta-carotene, which gives fruit and veg a red or orange colour. Because vitamin A is fat soluble, the body stores excess amounts, primarily in the liver, and these levels can accumulate. Excess vitamin A can have significant toxicity, and though this can be due to excessive dietary intakes, toxic levels are usually a result of consuming too much preformed vitamin A from supplements.
Pumpkin, leek, and chive soup
Ingredients
- ½ leek
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 250 gr. pumpkin
- 250 ml. chicken stock
- 1 tbsp. chopped chives
- Pinch ground coriander
- 1 tbsp. low-fat yoghurt
Instructions
- Chop the leek and crush the garlic.
- Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a pan on a very low heat and sweat the leek and garlic for a few minutes.
- Meanwhile, peel and chop the pumpkin into 1 inch cubes.
- Add the chicken stock and pumpkin to the leek and garlic, bring to the boil, then leave to simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes or until the pumpkin is cooked through and soft.
- While the soup simmers, finely chop the chives and mix a tablespoon of yoghurt with a pinch of ground coriander.
- Once the pumpkin is cooked, take the soup of the heat and puree it using a hand blender.
- Pour into a soup bowl, place a dollop of coriander-yoghurt in the center and sprinkle with the chopped chives.