With all the holidays behind, winter is the perfect time to think about health. Hot meals, such as soups, are a delicious winter inspiration!
Delicious Winter Inspiration
Imagine yourself trying a spoon of home cooked tomato soup… Do you feel the taste of roasted tomatoes, capsicums, Spanish onions, garlic and basil leaves? Mushrooms, sweet potato, carrots, broccoli… I just can’t stop fantasizing! Vegetable or chicken stock would work best.
Vegetable Soups
Soups made with veggies are great for diets, too. For example, fiber found in broccoli reduces cholesterol. Try this creamy broccoli soup to include broccoli in your diet.
Food Presentation
Presentation of the food is as important as its taste. Salads work great to add a special touch to the table and are always full of vitamins and nutritional elements that your body needs in the wintertime. The more raw vegetables there are in your salad, the more nutrients you gain. Herbs are not only healthy but are also a great decoration. Feel free to play with various ingredients this winter!
Find more of the Helena’s recipes on HelenaRecipes.com.
Creamy Broccoli Soup
Ingredients
- 24 ounces cold water
- 1 broccoli head
- a handful spinach
- 1 green onion
- 1 sprig basil leaves
- 3 cloves garlic
- 8 tablespoons thickened light cream
- 3 1/2 ounces milk
- 3/4 ounces butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons flour
- Salt and pepper to taste
Steps
- Place casserole with cold water into a stove on medium heat. Bring it to boil.
- Chop broccoli, spring onions, garlic and basil leaves.
- In a sauce pan melt half of the butter. Add 1 tablespoon of oil.
- Once hot, add finely chopped broccoli with garlic. Sauté until tender.
- Transfer broccoli, spinach and green onions in a casserole with water. Cover the casserole. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the broccoli is cooked nice and soft.
- In a different pan melt one tablespoon of butter. Add flour. Fry for a few seconds.Add milk and cream. Stir nicely and add to broccoli soup. Boil for a few minutes.
- Grind broccoli mixture to smooth texture with a blender.
- Add salt and black pepper to taste.
- Creamy broccoli soup is ready to serve.
Winter Salad with Roasted Sweet Potato
Ingredients
- 1 medium sweet potato
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 tablespoon paprika
- 2-3 handfuls spinach
- 6-7 coriander sprigs
- 4 tomato cherries
- 1 corn (cut into 4-5 slices)
- 6-7 basil leaves
- Salt to taste
Dressing
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Steps
- Preheat oven to 350˚. Peel sweet potato, cut into 1/4″ cubes.
- Toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, onion, paprika, black pepper. Roast until tender, 25-30 minutes.
- Cut tomatoes and corn.
- Reheat casserole with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and fry corn slices until brown on medium heat, around 3-4 minutes.
- Whisk together lime juice, olive oil, balsamic vinegar.
- Toss the desired amount of spinach with tomatoes, basil leaves, cherry tomatoes, roasted sweet potatoes and dressing. Top with coriander sprigs.
Bon appétit!
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