YOU NEED
1 leek
2 medium potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
3 cups of frozen green peas
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1-2 tablespoons of Mexican fajita seasoning or a tiny touch of liquid smoke
5 cups of vegetable stock
salt and pepper
2 cups of fresh mint leaves, washed
¼ cup of nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup of olive oil
YOU DO
Finely slice the white part of the leek and set the rest aside for stock or another recipe. Gently cook the leek and garlic in a medium pot, in a little water (just enough to stop the leek from sticking to the pan while it cooks) until the leek softens. Stir regularly while you cook the leek and add a little more water if you need to.
Add the potatoes and the stock to the pot and bring it to the boil. Once the stock has come to a boil, turn the heat down to a medium simmer and cook until the potato is almost cooked. Just before the potato is ready, add the peas and cook another couple of minutes. Add the Mexican Fajita seasoning or liquid smoke. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste and blend all ingredients until smooth.
While the soup is cooking prepare the mint pistou by simply blending the mint leaves, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil and set aside.
Serve the soup hot with fresh crusty bread and topped with a generous dollop of mint pistou.
Serves: Serves 4
Time: This only takes about half an hour if you pop a top on your pot to get it to the boil and cut your potato quite small.
Freeze: Suitable.
Notes: Nutritional yeast is an inactive yeast that is rich in B12. It offers body and a cheesy flavour to recipes. It can be purchased in well stocked health food stores.
Liquid smoke offers a plant based smokey flavour to soups and marinades. It can be purchase online and at well stocked delis.
For a lower fat option you can simply omit the pistou.
