TOMMY PEPPER SOUP
Serves: 4
Per serving: 404 calories, 14g fat (2g saturated
fat), 14g protein, 13g fibre, 50g carbohydrate
(15g sugar), 0.7g salt
2 tbsp olive oil
500g carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
1 onion, peeled and chopped
5 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked and chopped
200g jarred, roasted red peppers, chopped
400g can chopped tomatoes
125g red lentils, soaked, rinsed and drained
1l good-quality vegetable stock
2 tbsp lemon juice
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sourdough stars
1 tbsp olive oil
4 slices of sourdough rye or gluten-free bread
To serve
Plain, unsweetened Greek yoghurt
Extra virgin olive oil
To make the soup, heat the oil in a large,
lidded saucepan and sauté the carrots,onionandthymeovera medium-lowheatforfive
minutes,oruntiltheonionbeginsto soften.Add
thepeppersto thepanandsautéfora further
fiveminutes,oruntilthepepperhassoftened.
Addthetomatoes,lentilsandstock,seasonto
tastewithsaltandpepperandbringto theboil.
Reducetheheatandsimmerwiththelidajarfor
15-20minutes,oruntilthelentilsarecooked.Whilethesoupis cooking,preparethe
sourdoughstars.Usea ministarcookie
cutterto cutstarsoutof thebread(anyleftover
bitscanberoughlychoppedandtoastedas
regular croutons for less fussy adults). Heat the
oil in a large frying pan and fry the stars over a
medium heat for a few minutes on each side,
or until golden, and set aside.When the soup is cooked, remove from
the heat, stir through the lemon juice
andmix with a hand-held blender until
completely smooth. Serve hot, dotted with
yoghurt (using the back of a teaspoon) and
topped with the sourdough stars and a
drizzle of oil.Spend five
minutes making
star-shaped
sourdough rye
bread croûtons
and a yoghurt
starry sky.1
3
2
FIVE WAYS
TO GET YOUR
KIDS EATING
MORE VEGCrank up the heat: roasting
veg in the oven gives a sweet
caramelisation,crunchyouterand
softmiddlethatmanykidslike.
Divide and conquer: forget
the big bowl of salad or pasta; try
a tapas approach with the same
ingredients, dividing the food into
littlebowls.Childrenliketoeat
morethanonethingattime.
Add fat: adding cheese, olive
oil or nuts makes vegetables
more flavourful and comforting.
Try grated cheese on asparagus,
addingnutbuttertoa green
smoothieoroliveoiltoa soup.
Ask their opinion: let children
taste food while it’s cooking, and
ask if it needs some herbs in it, or
a squeeze of lemon juice over it.
This helps them think how they
canenjoyfoodmore,ratherthan
simplysaying,‘I don’tlikeit’.
Let them help plan meals:
they’ll feel more involved this way.
You choose pasta one day, soup
the next; they choose the type of
pasta, and the flavour of the soup.