Healthy Yet Tasty Soups

Soups are an effective yet delicious way to incorporate more vegetables into your child's diet. By adding herbs and flavourings to soups, it is easy to amplify the flavour profile of the soup – making it a hearty option for dinner.

The monsoons and flu season come hand in hand and it's important to try and incorporate vegetables that boost immunity into meals, to keep the sniffles at bay. Here are two healthy and delicious options for a tasty weeknight dinner.

Carrot, Tumeric and Ginger Soup

(Recipe serves 3)

• In a large pot, lightly fry one chopped onion, a few cloves of garlic, 1" piece of ginger chopped and 1" piece of fresh turmeric chopped.
• You can choose to incorporate fresh herbs such as sage or thyme at this point of time as well.
• When the onions are soft and translucent, add 500 gms of carrots that have been peeled and chopped into chunks.
• Fry the carrots for 2 minutes and then pour 1 litre of vegetable or chicken stock into the pot.
• Bring the stock to a boil and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
• Cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until the carrot is cooked through.
• Cool and blend in batches. If you are in the mood for a creamier soup, add 1/4 cup of cream while reheating the soup. Coconut milk is also a great option if you're vegan.

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup

(Recipe serves 3)

• In a large pot, lightly fry one chopped onion, 200 gms chopped carrots and 700 gms peeled and chopped sweet potatoes.
• After 5 minutes, add 1 litre of vegetable or chicken stock and 100 ml of coconut milk.
• This soup is a great vehicle for warmer spices such as ground cumin, ground coriander and ground cinnamon. Add 1/2 teaspoon of each of these spices as well as chilly flakes as per your taste.
• Season the soup with salt and freshly ground pepper and cook for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through.
• Cool and blend in batches.

You can add toasted garlic bread alongside the soup to make the meal heavier or even add a handful a boiled macaroni to the soups to make them a heartier meal. Soups are versatile and you can take the opportunity to add spices, herbs are flavourings as per your choice.