Muscle & Fitness UK – August 2019

NUTRITION

110 MUSCLE & FITNESS / AUGUST 2019

Serves: 2 with pesto leftover Takes: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

For the soup:

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil


• 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped


• 2 cloves garlic, finely grated


• 400g carrots with green leafy tops, peeled and chopped


• 3cm root ginger, finely grated


• 600ml vegetable stock


• 2 tbsp Meridian coconut & peanut butter
  For the pesto:


• 40g pumpkin seeds • 70g parmesan, grated


• 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped


• 40g carrot tops, well washed


• 1 tbsp Meridian coconut and peanut butter


• ½ lemon • 180ml olive oil

Photo Credits:

http://www.meridianfoods.co.uk

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and gently cook the
   onion for 5-8 minutes until it starts to soften. Add
   the garlic, carrots and ginger and stir well. Cook
   for two minutes then add the stock.


2. Bring to a simmer, season and cook for 15 minutes,
   with the lid on, until the carrots are soft. Stir in
   the nut butter then set aside to cool a little.


3. While the soup is cooking make the pesto. Toast the
   seeds in a dry frying pan until they begin to pop.
   Whizz the toasted seeds, parmesan, garlic, carrot
   tops, nut butter, lemon zest and juice along with
   half of the oil, in a food processor until you have
   a thick paste. As its whizzing, add more oil until
   it becomes a drizzling consistency.


4. Blend the soup until smooth, add more stock if
   it’s too thick and check the seasoning. Reheat then
   ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle with pesto.

Carrot, Coconut and Peanut Butter Soup with Carrot Top Pesto

COOK’S TIP:

If you don’t have

enough carrot tops

for the pesto then

make up any shortfall

with coriander. The

pesto will keep in

the fridge in a sealed

container for a week,

use it on pasta, drizzle

over fish or toss

with roasted veg.