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close up photo of beets

Plant-Based Diet: Beetroot & Apple Soup (Combats Winter Chills)

When people are asked to name their favourite root vegetables, beetroots, aka garden beet, might not be most people’s first choice. However, they are my favourite because they’re jam-packed with nutrients and taste so fresh when prepared right. 

Before I moved to the UK, I never had eaten beetroot. After living in the UK for several years, beets still weren’t on my radar. Only three years ago, I taught myself how to bake. One day, I came across a recipe calling for beetroot. I used the quantity required in that recipe but still had a lot of fresh beets left. So, I steamed them and added them to my salad. Then the rest is history. Beets to me are love at first bite; their taste was like sunshine for the soul — sweet and earthy. 

Since then, I have included beets regularly in my diet. It’s a very versatile ingredient, too. From pickles, dips, pasta, vegan burgers, soups, and cakes to smoothies, you can use beets to make those everyday dishes. Moreover, this root vegetable has a natural red food colouring that gives the dish a nice bright finish.

So, in this post, I want to share my go-to beetroot soup recipe with a mix of apples and carrots. It’s simple, super healthy and filled with comforting flavours — a perfect soup to warm up a cold day!

Beet varieties  

Beetroots are a very hearty and productive crop. They can be divided into two main types based on their roots’ shape. 

  • globe/round beetroots (short-rooted)
  • oval/long beetroots (long-rooted)

Normally, oval/long beets cook quicker than globe/round beets.

They can be divided further into different varieties. The most common variety grown in the UK is ‘boltardy’. This variety produces deep-red flesh and medium round-shaped roots with smooth skin. The table below shows some common beet varieties.

Varietyroot shaperoot sizeflesh colour
actionglobesmalldark red
blankomaglobemediumwhite
boldorglobesmall to
medium
orange or
yellow
boltardyglobemediumdark red
chioggiaglobelargered & white rings
cylindraovalmediumdark red
merlinglobemediumdark red
red aceglobe or
oval
mediumdeep dark red
8 beet varieties – their root shape, size and flesh colour

Beetroot can also be categorised based on its flesh colour. For instance, red, striped, golden and white beets etc. 

Beet greens

Do you always discard beet greens and only eat the root part? Do you know that beetroots were first grown for their leaves, not roots? Beetroots are believed to originate from the Mediterranean Sea area, and they were cultivated for their leaves around 300 BC. However, in 1542, Europeans started consuming the root part of the beet. The type of beetroot also only began to take its modern shape in the 16th century.

person wearing floral gardening glove holding a bunch of beet leaves
Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.co

Beet greens have two parts, namely stems and leaves. They’re both edible. Though certain beet varieties are better for beet greens, such as early wonder tall top and bull’s blood, because they produce sweeter stems and more tender foliage. 

The greens are very easy to cook and taste delicious. Before cooking them, wash them properly because sometimes beet leaves can be sandy. Then remove the leaves from the stems and chop them separately. Add a bit of olive oil and simply sauté them. But make sure you cook stems for 3 to 4 minutes first, then add the leaves later because stems take longer to cook through. You can often cook the leaves the same way you would cook spinach.

If you can never have enough beet greens in your diet or it’s hard to buy beetroots with beet greens still attached, then you can go for swiss chard. Swiss chards are beets’ leafy brothers and share a common ancestor, the sea beet. Moreover, their greens taste similar to each other. However, people don’t usually eat chard roots because they lack the sweetness found in beetroots.

Beetroots’ health benefits 

Beetroots are a nutritional powerhouse. They are a rich source of vitamin C, potassium and magnesium. Their red colour shows that they’re very high in antioxidants, too. They also have a high concentration of folate (vitamin B9) and dietary nitrates. Last but not least, they even have higher iron than spinach. 

assorted vegetables on white surface
Photo by Anna Tukhfatullina Food Photographer/Stylist on Pexels.com

Beets have been used as a medicine in some cultures going back thousands of years. And they continuously give us a lot of health benefits when consumed regularly in our diet. The benefits include: 

  • lower blood pressure
  • reduce inflammation
  • regulate blood sugar
  • support liver health
  • improve gut health
  • enhance physical exercise performance
  • neutralise free radicals and make our skin more glowing

If you’re trying to get fitter, go for beetroots. They are low in calories but are filling because they’re fibre-rich root vegetables. So, they can increase the feeling of fullness even if you just have a small portion of them. Also, beetroot pulp is a good home remedy for an upset stomach. 

Beetroot and apple soup

healthy, smooth and tastes amazing
Course dinner, Lunch
Cuisine Mediterranean
Keyword apple, beetroot, carrot
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 people
Calories 130kcal

Equipment

  • 1 immersion blender  (or food processor)
  • 1 saucepan with a lid

Ingredients

  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 3 medium-sized beetroots, peeled, sliced & roughly chopped (they make up around 9 cups of beets once peeled) (see *note 1)
  • 1 cooking apple, peeled & roughly chopped (around 1.5 cups)
  • 2 carrots, peeled & roughly chopped (around 1.5 cups)
  • 3 garlic cloves, grated
  • tsp ginger, grated
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 vegetable stock (dissolve it in 500ml boiling water)
  • some spring onions (optional)

Instructions

  • Remove the beet greens if your beetroots come with them. Save the beet greens for another recipe.
  • Rinse the roots with cold water and wash them thoroughly.
  • Peel the skin. Make sure you wear an apron when doing this because beetroots flesh could stain your clothes easily.
  • Roughly chop the roots once peeled. Then, steam them in a steamer or roast them in an oven if you prefer. You can even steam/roast the beetroot the day before to save you some cooking time the next day.
  • I always use a Tatung ricer cooker to steam my beetroots. It only takes around 20 minutes to get them ready, and the metal pot inside the ricer cooker can catch all the beetroot juice, which I can have later.
  • Roughly chop onion, apple, carrots, and spring onions while steaming/roasting the beetroots.
  • Once the beetroots are cooked, then it's time to make the soup.
  • Heat the oil in the saucepan, add chopped onions, and fry until the onion is soft.
  • Add chopped carrots and fry for a minute or two. Add a splash of vegetable stock if the pan gets too dry.
  • Add grated garlic and ginger, and fry for a minute.
  • Add chopped apples.
  • Add steamed/roasted beetroots, and mix well with other ingredients in the pan.
  • Add vegetable stock. (see *note 2)
  • Add spring onions and mix again. (optional)
  • Add salt, pepper and bay leaves and a bit of more vegetable stock to make sure the liquid is slightly above all the ingredients in the pot.
  • Turn the heat down and put the lid on. Let the soup cook for another 15 – 20 minutes.
  • Turn off the heat and discard the bay leaves. Once the soup cools down a bit, blend it.
  • Taste the soup and add salt and pepper if needed.

Video

Notes

*note 1: In the UK, beetroots are usually available the whole year around. Consuming seasonal vegetables/fruits is vital to reduce our carbon footprint. If beetroots are only available some of the time where you live, you can learn to store them correctly to maximise their shelf life.
*note 2: Don’t pour in all the vegetable stock in one go. Instead, add it until it’s slightly above all the ingredients in the pot. Hold back some liquid and use it to thin the soup if you feel it is too thick after blending. 

close up shot of pea soup

Plant-Based Diet: Vegan Courgette Pea Soup

In North Hampshire, summertime is near the end, and autumn is around the corner. As soon as the weather turns chilly, the food I crave the most is soup. Soup is not only easy to make, especially plant-based soups, but it also is the easiest way to use up what’s left in the fridge. Remember: cutting down food waste reduces our climate impact

So, in this post, I want to show you one of my favourite vegan soup recipes. It’s quick, satisfying, and of course, yummy, too! You might ask why vegan soup. Because I firmly believe the fewer animal products we consume, the more positive impacts we’ll have on the environment.

Why soup? 

Soup is primarily liquid food by boiling various ingredients in water or stock. When making it right, it’s comforting, nourishing, and flavourful. Other reasons people might prefer soups over other dishes are: 

  • Soups can be a budget-friendly dish and don’t require much cooking time, especially plant-based soups.
  • It can be made ahead of time and freezes well – suitable for a busy lifestyle. 
  • It makes us full for longer.
  • It provides better dietary quality, such as getting our 5-a-day and other nutrition, minerals and proteins for our body health. 
  • Hot soups can increase our body temperature quickly on cold weather days.
  • The dish is versatile and can be modified to suit everyone’s taste buds. 
  • When people are sick, they want to have soups because they’re soothing and easier for digestion.

Thick soup vs thin soup

Some people might refer to the thin soup as ‘broth’, but the former can be further divided into two sub-categories, passed soup and unpassed soup. Thick soup can also be broken down into five sub-groups: cream soup, puree soup, veloute soup, bisque soup and chowder soup.

As a home cook, I don’t care too much which type (or subtype) of soups I’m making as long as it’s tasty and quick to make. Before moving to the UK, I used to have mainly thin soups. Thin soups are prepared without a thickening agent, such as cream or starchy vegetables.

I make thick soups these days more often because they have all the ingredients extracted and are easier to digest. In addition, they’re a perfect pairing when served with a slice of soft white bread.

Homemade soup vs canned soup

Although canned soup is super convenient, I would always go for homemade soup because you just can’t beat the freshness and nourishment from making your own soup. Besides, canned soups are known for adding too much salt – something soup manufacturers do to enhance the soups’ flavour. Others could have too much fat. They taste good, but their excessive salt or fat could cause damage to our health.

If I only have time to prepare canned soup, I would pour the soup into the saucepan, add at least 1/3 cup of water and some veggies that can be quickly cooked, such as spring onion, spinach, lettuce, frozen peas, then heat them all together to make it as a quick meal. That way, the sodium in the canned soup can be diluted, and I also ensure I get my 5-a-day.

Hot vs cold soup 

I don’t do cold soup at all. I always have my soups, either thin or thick, hot because I feel only hot soups can bring me comfort. Cold soups, to me, feel more like unfinished business. However, I know plenty of people enjoy a bowl of cold soup on a hot day. 

When I think of cold soups, I am thinking of those soups commonly served cold, such as gazpacho, beet soup or chilled cucumber soup. But what if one takes out the soup from the fridge and eats it without heating it? Some culinary experts might argue that it shouldn’t be classified as ‘cold’ soup. Instead, they should be called ‘chilled’ soup. But some soups taste better the next day because flavours blend better over a more extended time.

If cold soups are your cup of tea, you can try the recipes here

Vegan courgette pea soup

Hearty, tasty and nutritious vegan soup
Course dinner, Lunch
Cuisine American
Keyword light meal, soup, vegan
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 4 people
Calories 240kcal
Cost £4.00 (see *note 1)

Equipment

  • 1 immersion blender (or food processor)
  • 1 saucepan with a lid

Ingredients

  • 1 yellow onion
  • 2 courgettes (1 large and 1 medium size or 3 medium size)
  • 100 grams peas (fresh or frozen)
  • 2 tbsp spring onions
  • 1 celery stick (keep some leaves)
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 3 tsp smoked paprika
  • 3 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 vegetable stock (dissolve it in 500ml boiling water)
  • 2 tsp mint (optional)

Instructions

  • Slice courgettes and place them in a single layer on the baking tray.
  • Spray a bit of cooking oil on the courgettes and rub in smoked paprika and garlic powder.
  • Set the oven to 180C and roast courgettes for 15 – 20 minutes in the oven. (see *note 2)
  • At the same time, finely chopped onions, celery and mint.
  • Heat the oil in the saucepan, add chopped onions, and fry until the onion is soft.
  • Add spring onion. Add a splash of vegetable stock if the pan gets too dry.
  • Add chopped celery, celery leaves and mint and fry for a minute.
  • Add peas.
  • Add roasted courgettes and mix them well with the ingredients in the pan.
  • Add vegetable stock. (see *note 3)
  • Turn the heat down and put the lid on. Let the soup cook for another 10 minutes.
  • Turn off the heat. Once the soup cools down a bit, blend it.
  • Taste the soup and add salt and pepper if needed.

Video

Notes

*note 1: I grow courgettes in my garden. So it’s completely free! If you never grow courgettes, you should try them because they’re so easy to grow and a very productive crop, too!
*note 2: You can skip this step if you don’t want to roast courgettes. Instead, sauté them after you cook the onion (step 5). I like roasting them because they add a nutty flavour to the soup. Also, it saves cooking time on the hob. Of course, you can always roast them ahead of cooking the soup.
*note 3: Don’t pour in all the vegetable stock in one go. Instead, add it until it’s slightly over all the ingredients in the pot. Hold back some liquid and use it to thin the soup if you feel it is too thick after blending. 
Chickpea and couscous vegan curry

Plant-based Diet: Vegan Tikka Masala Recipe (Creamy & Healthy)

What’s your favourite Indian curry dish? When asking the same question to British people, the national favourite curry dishes are chicken tikka masala, chicken korma or rogan josh (lamb curry), which all involve cooking meat. However, I believe vegan curry can be tasty, too.

Even if you aren’t ready to become a full-time vegan, simply cooking vegan dishes as much as possible shows your caring for the planet, the only place we can call home. So in this post, I want to share a vegan tikka masala curry recipe with you. It’s creamy and healthy, too!

Why go vegan?

There are many benefits of going vegan. To me, it’s more about the environment than anything else. According to a study from the University of Oxford, dietary change, i.e. from a meat/dairy-based diet to a plant-based diet, can deliver significant environmental benefits, such as a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, reducing meat and dairy consumption can prevent deforestation as we won’t need to destroy forests to raise livestock.

What is ‘curry’?

The word ‘curry’ was a British invention when India was a colony of Britain in the 17th century. Back then, the British couldn’t remember all the names of each Indian dish, so they invented the term ‘curry’ and used it as a generic term to refer to dishes with Indian spices.

Although the curry powder originated in India, nowadays, there are more than hundreds of types of curry powder around the world, each with its distinctive mixture of curry powder. Check out the video below to learn more about the origin of the curry powder and how it’s made.

How many different types of curry are around the world?

There are hundreds of types of curry around the world, such as:

Types of currySpices/paste usedExample dishes
Cambodian curry Kroeung, prahok pastefish amok, Khmer curry
Filipino curry coriander powder, patis, peanut butter, soy sauce, turmericKare-kare, beef Kulma
Indian curry cumin, curry leaves, fresh ginger, tamarind, turmericaloo gobi, Goan prawn curry
Jamaican curry garlic powder, onion powder, pimento berries, turmeric, dried thymecurry goat, curried Jamaican patties
Japanese curry coriander, cardamom, cumin, grated apples, sautéed onion, turmeric (see *note 1)katsu curry, kare pan (curry bun)
Korean curry coriander, cumin, fennel, fenugreek, turmeric (see *note 1)bulgogi curry (Korean BBQ curry)
Malaysian curry garlic, Kashmiri chill, lemongrass, onion curry laksa, Kari Ikan (fish curry)
Thai curry fenugreek seeds, lemongrass, garlic, galangal, shrimp pasteChoo Chee Goong (prawns in red sauce), Kaeng Kiew Waan Gai (Thai green curry)
The table below illustrates curry around the world in alphabetical order.

*note 1: Instead of curry powder, Japanese and Korean curry spices often come in curry blocks, also called curry roux.

How does curry get its colour?

It depends on the spices and types of chillies used in the dish. Curry can come in three different colours: yellow, red and green. Turmeric gives the curry dish a golden-yellow colour. On the other hand, tomato-based curry and red chillies give the vibrate red colour. As for the green curry, the colour comes from green chilli and fresh herbs, such as basil or coriander.

Is curry a healthy dish?

The mixed spices in the curry give several health benefits. Take turmeric powder for example, a spice used in many different types of curry, it can:

  • lessen inflammation
  • regulate blood pressure levels
  • lower cholesterol
assorted spices in the market

Cumin, another commonly used spice, promotes gut health and helps fight diabetes. A study also shows that curry spices may fight Alzheimer’s disease. So, just cooking 1 to 2 tablespoons of curry powder with other ingredients can help us obtain those benefits when consumed regularly.

However, curry can also be unhealthy if one adds too much oil or full-fat cream when cooking. Also, if the person consumes too much rice or bread together with curry, the whole meal will become high in carbohydrates, which generates a rapid rise in blood glucose. In addition, some ready-made curry sauces can be unhealthy, as they can contain a surprising amount of salt, sugar and fat. So make sure you check the ingredients when getting store-bought curry sauces.

What side-dishes go well with curry?

Possible side dishes for curry dishes are:

Bread

chapati, dosa, naan, roti, baguette

Rice

basmati rice, brown rice, jasmine rice, jeera rice, short-grain white rice, cauliflower rice

Noodles

rice noodles, udon noodles (or any Asian noodles)

Salad

carrot salad, cucumber salad, mango salad, tomato coriander salad, potato salad

Others

poppadom, couscous, potato (mashed, roast or boiled), spring roll, chutney

Regarding personal preference, I’d say either short-grain white rice or udon noodles for Japanese curry. As for Indian curry, warm naan would be my go-to. And I like having jasmine rice that gives a fragrant aroma to the Thai curry.

How to cook vegan tikka masala curry?

Let me show you how to cook an easy, quick, tasty vegan tikka masala curry. I’m using curry powder instead of ready-made curry sauce because I believe it’s a healthier way to cook a curry dish.

When it comes to ingredients for the dish, I am quite flexible. I believe as long as we have the essential ones, such as curry spices, garlic, onion, and chopped tomatoes, the rest of the ingredients can be flexible. Cooking a curry dish is a good way to use the vegetables that need to be used up soon. So, be experimental and use different vegetables if you don’t have the ones listed below.

Vegan tikka masala curry

A healthy, creamy, one-pot wonder and low-fat
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Keyword chickpea, curry, vegan
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 380kcal
Cost £10

Ingredients

Essential

  • 1 medium onion (yellow or red onion)
  • 1 cup red lentils
  • 1 tin tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes)
  • 1 tin cooked chickpeas
  • 1 tin light coconut milk (you can use the full-fat one if you prefer)
  • 3 garlic cloves (or use garlic granules if you don't have the fresh ones)
  • 2 tbsp tikka curry powder
  • 2 – 3 tbsp cooking oil

Optional (or just use whatever vegetables need to be used up in your fridge)

  • 1 medium potato (you can substitute this with sweet potatoes)
  • 2 carrots (you can replace this with courgettes)
  • 2 stalks of celery (you can swap this with red/yellow pepper)
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 2 tbsp fresh herbs, such as basil, coriander or spring onion
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper (or red pepper flakes if you like your dish to be spicier)

Instructions

  • Soak the red lentils for half an hour
  • Drain the water from the tinned chickpeas
  • Save the chickpea water for making a vegan mayo (optional).
  • Drain the water from the lentils
  • Gather the rest of the ingredients
  • Finely chop all the vegetables, including onion and garlic.
  • Heat the oil in the saucepan, add chopped onions, and fry until the onion is soft.
  • Add tikka curry powder, and continue cooking for another minute. (see *note 2)
  • Add carrots and mix them with what’s in the pan.
  • Add a bit of water if you feel there isn't enough liquid in the pan.
  • Add garlic and then celery.
  • Add cayenne pepper (optional).
  • Add diced potatoes (make sure they aren’t chunky so they won’t require long cooking time).
  • Add chopped tomatoes and coconut milk.
  • Add drained lentils, and mix them well with all the ingredients in the pan.
  • Add salt and pepper.
  • Turn the heat up. Once the liquid starts boiling in the pan, add chickpeas and set the heat at mid-low. Put the lid on and let it cook another 20 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
  • Taste the dish before serving.

Video

Notes

*note 1: For all the veggies in the ‘Optional’ ingredients section, you can use whatever vegetables need to be used up in your fridge as long as they don’t add strong flavour to the dish.
*note 2: You can add curry powder at this stage, or after you add chopped tomatoes (step 12). Also, turn down the heat when adding curry powder so it won’t get burnt.

What side dishes go well with vegan tikka masala curry?

You can choose any side dishes as suggested above. I went for spring rolls because I like the contrasting texture between them and creamy tikka masala curry. I also added a few slices of cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and a splash of lime juice to bring more freshness to the dish. Now, time to dig in! Cooking a vegan curry from scratch is a great way to have a tasty and healthy meal!

Vegan Tikka Masala Curry

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