It’s officially time of the year for stews, pho, dessert (or maybe that’s just me?), and of course, we can’t forget soups.

If you’re a meal-planner like me, this soup is a kitchen staple; you need to get it into that plan ASAP. It’s my secret new recipe and it may or may not change your life.

That’s right – I said secret. Consider yourself part of the Supercharged Food Secret Soup Community!

Welcome one and all!

I’ve created this roasted cauliflower, fennel and ginger soup to provide a super simple, delicious and healthy soup that's brimming with robust flavours and prebiotic rich vegetables to boost your gut health and immunity this winter.

It’s the perfect soup for when you feel a sniffle coming on or you feel like something a little zestier than your run-of-the-mill vegetable soup. But to be totally honest, you don’t need a special occasion to whip up this magic – it’s the kind of soup you could have every single day. It’s my everyday kind of soup.

Seeing as you’ve now officially joined the Supercharged Food Secret Soup Community, you’re probably wanting to know the "perks of being a cauliflower" oops member. Well, the main administrators for this soup are fennel, ginger and cauliflower. So, I’ll do the introduction – everybody, meet fennel, ginger and cauliflower.

Fennel loves looking after your bones and can even improve your skin health. If you’re feeling a little bit sluggish, it can help aid digestion and improve your mood and that's always a bonus.

Ginger is a bit of a zesty character but not one to be missed in this mighty trio! Single-handedly helping to fight off inflammation, whilst ginger can be very zesty, it'll always be there to pick up the pieces if you’re feeling nauseous or experiencing muscle soreness.

Finally, cauliflower is the head-honcho in this bowl of goodness. Full of vitamins and minerals to improve your overall health and  high in anti-inflammatory properties to keep you fighting winter bugs all pretty much year long, cauliflower is a long standing ingredient in the SCF soup community!

Add these three together and you’ve got quite the combination.

I've included my anti-inflammatory Golden Gut Blend in this recipe because it loves your gut. Containing diatomaceous earth, along with turmeric and other deliciously healing spices, it works to aid digestion and reduce inflammation to keep your insides glowing and happy. No soup is complete without it. Trust me on this one!

So there you have it - a new recipe for your weekly meal plans.  I hope you feel welcomed into our soupercharged community and feel ready to take on simple soup-making, one veggie at a time!

Roasted cauliflower, fennel and ginger soup 

Ingredients:

• 1 red onion quartered
• 4 garlic cloves
• ½ head large cauliflower (cut into florets)
• 2 fennel bulbs chopped and cored
• 500 gms stock of choice
• 3 tbs hummus (optional, I had this in the fridge)
•  1 TBS Golden Gut Blend   (or use 1 tsp tumeric and pinch cinnamon and black pepper)
• 1 tsp sage leaves
• pinch fennel seeds
• 2 tbs wheat free tamari
• 2 tbs lemon
• 1 knob ginger (peeled) 

Method: 

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius 
• On a baking tray place red onion, garlic cloves, cauliflower and the fennel. 
• Bake for 30-35 minutes until crispy. 
• Remove from the oven and place in a blender with remaining ingredients. 
• Blend until creamy. 
• Pour into heavy bottomed saucepan and place on stovetop. 
• Heat through on low to allow flavours to meld. 
• Season to taste. 
• Let cool slightly and serve warm. 
• Decorate with fennel fronds.

Happy cooking,

Lee x 

If you’re a keen foodie who's always riding with the food trends, there’s no doubt you’ve already jumped on the Buddha bowl bandwagon.

These flawless bowls are bouncing with all the veggies, perfectly-packed protein and avocado that's diced up a little too neatly (Seriously, HOW do they do it?!). 

Here at Supercharged HQ, we're not into the neat and the pretty - the flat-lays of life. We love the messy, the real and the raw (or baked in this case). That's what life is after all. There's beauty in the irregularity and that's why my Bohemian Baked Veg Bowl, brewed in the hinterland of Byron Bay is a forever recipe.

Have you heard of the Bohemian Baked Veg Bowl ever?

Probably not because it's a Supercharged special!  Until someone decides to permanently borrow it of course. (Blogger jokes ;))

The Bohemian Baked Veg Bowl is all about getting real and letting out your true colours. Finding your loosest pair of harem pants, letting down your flowy hair (or at least pretending to) and getting the groovy music going, man. I’m starting a revolution and inviting you to get amongst it, baby!

Viva le bowlolution!

My Bohemian Baked Veg Bowl is also full of nutrients to tell you the truth. It’s truly a melting pot of flavours where everything is welcome and loved, in all it's mess and glory!  

This bowl is aesthetically pleasing (perfect for the keen instagrammer), versatile and well… delicious. Plus, it’s super simple to make and not very time consuming either. Essentially, it’s a bowl with all the good stuff – lots of veggies, greens and seeds. Oh, and let’s not forget a creamy tahini dressing that’s almost too good to be true. *Wipes drool from side of mouth*.

The best part about my bohemian veg bowl is that it’s fool-proof! Yep, almost anyone who knows how to work an oven and shake ingredients in a jar can make this one. Plus, you probably have everything lying in your fridge and store cupboard anyway.

I know you're just as excited as I am by this discovery so let's dive straight to it!

I'm going back to the future.

I love blogging and sharing my food adventures with you.

And you sharing right back.

It's what Supercharged Food is all about and why I started blogging in the first place.

So, I’ve decided I’m going back to basics.

You know, when the blogger make a recipe at home in their kitchen, away from the hullabaloo that is life?

Forget FaceTime! Let's get back to face to face time.

Say hello to good old-fashioned, simple Supercharged food blogs.

Here’s the first…

Curate your date night with my Oven Baked Veg and Garlic Soup with Toasted Seeds.

Whether you’re facing first-date butterflies and you want to seriously impress your first date or, you want to make your long-time partner feel a little more special, this SOUPercharged recipe is sure to do the trick. 

Get changed out of your tracksuit pants and throw on your fanciest get-up because date night at home need not be casual!

You don’t need a specific day to show someone you love them. Sometimes love can come through in the simplest of gestures - like making a warming pot of soup with some candles and soft tunes to gently sway to on the couch. 

This baked veg soup is husband-approved and absolutely fool-proof. You can even throw it together while you're getting home from a long day. It's sure to warm you both up from the inside out. 

So, what makes this soup so soupercharged? The cruciferous vegetable, cauliflower, can help fight inflammation because it's rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. Whilst garlic can help lower cholesterol and combat heart disease!  Who knew healthy eating could be so sexy?

Don't forget the seedy topping! Seeds are rich in  zinc - a crucial but often forgotten mineral that helps with growth, immunity and can even improve our skin.

And of course, the best part of having a date night at home is what happens after dinner...... 😉

Get your head out of the gutter - I'm a food blogger after all! 

I'm talking about DESSERT. 

Be sure to try out my love heart chocolates. These indulgent delights, with their special smooth and velvety texture and chocolaty buttery taste, are melt-in-your mouth good.  

You'll wonder why you ever made reservations in the first place...

Oven Baked Veg and Garlic Soup with Toasted Seeds

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cauliflower cut into florets
• 2 zucchinis chopped into cubes
• 1 carrot chopped into cubes
• 1/2 bulb garlic unpeeled (about 6 cloves)
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• Pinch chili flakes
• 1 knob butter or 1 tbs olive oil
• 500gms veg or beef stock
• 2 tbs tomato paste
• 2 tbs lemon juice
• 2 tbs wheat free tamari
• 1 tsp ginger grated

Top with:

• 1/4 cup toasted seeds
• Fresh coriander

Method:

Heat oven to 240 degrees Celsius

Place veg and garlic on a baking tray and splosh with olive oil then add spices and stir to coat

Bake for 25 to 30 mins

Once ready heat butter/oil in heavy based saucepan

Squeeze garlic into pan and break up with a wooden spoon

Place veg into pan and stir

Add stock and remaining ingredients and stir then bring to the boil and reduce heat place on lid and simmer for 10 mins

Ladle into bowls and top with toasted seeds and fresh coriander

Whoever said that veggies are boring and time consuming deserves a rap across the pork knuckles!

I’m in total awe of the power of veg and constantly surprised by the depths to which I can go in exploring different ways to express the beauty of these gorgeous ground dwellers.

In India, and particularly the Ayurvedic realm; veggies are prized and highly emphasised, not to mention a handy frugal option with high levels of nourishment.

Today I'm sharing a special dish I discovered when I was studying in Kerala. You can read more about my Indian cooking adventures here or in my recipe book Eat Right for Your Shape.

I’m especially proud of Ayurvedic cuisine for its wholesome and innovative approach to preparing quite elaborate meals out of simplistic veg. This glorious green bean subji is a prime example.

Subji is an Indian term that literally means ‘vegetable dish’- and can be in connection with any vegetable in a variety of different cooking methods. Subji’s can be dry, wet, or in curry form.

This spectacular subji is based on the humble green bean, but is impressively dressed up with a list of medicinal and flavourful Ayurvedic ingredients like cumin, ginger, mustard seeds, shredded coconut for texture and the freshness of coriander leaves. In minutes your regular bean is transformed into an exotic, aromatic vegetarian dish that’ll really blow your hair back and widen your eyes.

It is easy being green... and you don't need to wear horsetail braids, love kale or do yoga to be a vegetarian. When I first thought about the next book that I wanted to write after Eat Yourself Beautiful, one of the books that was missing on my recipe book shelf was a complete guide to vegetarian cooking.  I feel like vegetables are the complete package and because they're really high in nutrients and fibre and keep all of the important parts of your body working optimally I wanted to make them the star of the dinner table by placing them front and centre.

In the run up to writing my third print book, Eat Clean, Green and Vegetarian, I'd been stalked on Instagram, asked by a large number of people to include more vegetarian recipes in my books and I began to think that perhaps I was actually losing my Veg-inity somewhat, with all of the slow cooked lamb dishes I was serving up!

The truth is, I consider myself a flexitarian and someone who has a high plant based diet but I don't follow any strict rules when it comes to one diet or another.  I like to listen to my body for clues about what to eat and use real food from nature where I can, remembering to eat in a mindful and balanced way.

It became evident, that the next book I wanted to create was one where every recipe was plant based, but not just your average hockey puck veggie patties or nut roasts that you often see in vegetarian books.  I don't believe that you need to live on boring beans and rice dishes to enjoy a vegetarian diet and my veg dishes sparkle with freshness and the kind of flavour that hails directly out of the veg plot.  They're also all gluten and sugar free and have minimal dairy.

I needed to go beyond meatless Mondays and devise a menu where any day could begin with a vegan edible smoothie, a verdant green breakfast bowl or comforting Amaranth, Walnut and Pumpkin Porridge.

 

I've included hearty meals such as beautiful beetroot bourguignon and French roasted ratatouille and ones that can be eaten in-season such as winter vegetable korma or summer lettuce leaf tacos.  Because I consider myself a bit of a soup devotee I've incorporated a creamy mushroom with red quinoa chowder, a wonderfully filling pea soup for the soul and an aromatically curried parsnip pottage.

Healthy vego snacks if you’re feeling peckish and in the mood for a light indulgence, come in the way of celeriac fries, red onion bahjis with minted raita, mini chive pancakes or sweet spiced nuts- I’m letting you in on my secret weapon for handbags!

Supercharged Food, Eat Clean, Green and Vegetarian is rounded off with some lip smacking plant based desserts so you never have to skip dessert again.  Think triple mint slices made with beauty boosting spinach! Fresh blueberry fudge which is perfect for lunchboxes or to take to high tea, cheeky spinach ice cream, and you heard it here first, a cauliflower and raspberry cheesecake, yes I said cauliflower and cheesecake in the same sentence!  I know that you'll be surprised at how absolutely delicious it tastes too.  And I’m not sure if I mentioned my ultimate gooey chocolate cake? Pretty hard to believe it's actually good for you.

Really there’s no reason not to nosh like a nutritionist when you have all of these healthy veg options. After my extensive research into the area of vegetarian food, I was very surprised to discover how extremely unhealthy a vegetarian diet can be if you make bad food choices.

Supermarket options lack essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients needed for health and I couldn't step far enough away from the processed soy, meat and dairy alternatives on show in local shops. Unfortunately, I discovered plot loads of vegetarian products screaming with GM soy. In particular soy protein, soybean oil and soy lecithin which is an emulsifier that’s added to many processed foods.

Soy derivatives have become a toxic additive in our food products and act as a protein and nutrient absorption blocker causing abdominal distress in some people.  I'm yet to find a vegetarian based mayonnaise and salad dressing without soy bean oil and another ingredient, textured vegetable protein, or TVP as it is commonly known which contains the flavour enhancer MSG, can bring on unpleasant reactions in some people, and it was rife across instant vegetarian fare.

I'm hoping that my new vegetarian recipes will alleviate the need to buy processed vegetarian options, especially as my recipes are so easy to recreate at home and are infused with healthy ingredients.

I haven't left out vegans either with each recipe having options to veganise.  If you’re a long standing vegan or going vegan cold turkey, I'm not just talking about convenient alterations, I've included and sign-posted nutritious alternatives that will really boost your health and well-being.

Whether you’re a vegetarian, vegan or flexitarian, you’ll be able to simply and easily swap out ingredients depending upon your individual preferences and eating guidelines and enjoy recipes that really benefit your health and your waistline.

No one likes to open the fridge only to find withering, limp and sad faced vegetables, so I've included a "Storing Your Vegetables" food chart which will help you to understand how to properly preserve nutrients, freshness and keep your beautiful veg edible longer.

The book contains useful seasonal guides so you can see what is in season and there’s a section on how to source the best veg at affordable prices.   Vegetables have enzymes that both make and destroy vitamins and after your produce has been picked, vitamin production stops, but degradation continues so I've also included wonderful methods to store and cook your vegetables to ensure optimum nutrition from your meals.  

This really is the ultimate Vegetarian guide with delicious and inspiring recipes and I hope you love it as much as I do and that you and your family gets years of enjoyment from the recipes.  

Supercharged Food, Eat Clean, Green and Vegetarian will hit the shelves on 1st January 2015 and it's now available for pre-order here.

When you pre-order it, your copy will be sent to you on the 27th December right on track for post Xmas healthy meal planning.  Plus I’m going to give you a free copy of my Supercharged Food for Kids eBook with every pre-order because it's Christmas time!  

To receive your free copy send me an email with your email address and I'll zoom one over to you ASAP!.

Happy Cooking 🙂

Lee xo