



Did you know that it’s Yogurt Week from 19th-25th May? It’s a time to celebrate all things yogurty – breakfasts, baked goods, creamy pastas, salad dressings, sauces, dips, curries, and a million other things – it really is a ridiculously versatile ingredient, and a great food staple. Plus, it’s packed with a wide range of nutrients that are vital for a healthy lifestyle! (i.e. it totally cancels out that chocolate you’re eating…)

This time I decided to use it in a creamy spring vegetable soup, which is packed with seasonal green veg and a good dollop of Greek yogurt. In the past I’ve added double cream to my soups, but I’m definitely converted to using yogurt instead now – Greek yogurt is far lower in fat and calories, and far higher in protein! Definitely a good way to help me lose those honeymoon pounds…

This soup was really easy to make. I started by cooking off some onion and garlic, then added heaps of green veg – peas, broccoli, asparagus, spinach, and fresh chives, which are all great at this time of year. I finished it off with a good dollop of Greek yogurt to make it really creamy.

You guys… this soup was so good. It’s super healthy, but that doesn’t stop it feeling rich and indulgent. You can practically feel the goodness soaking into your body (here’s hoping I wake up tomorrow looking like Popeye… or maybe not).

Random irrelevant story: We still have builders in our house, and when they found out I was a vegetarian, they all groaned (which tends to be the usual reaction). I don’t think I did the vegetarian cause much good by proceeding to cook a soup that contains about a zillion types of green vegetable. I had to reassure them that we vegetarians truly do eat things other than broccoli… Anyway, the joke’s on them, because I was the one who got to dig into a big bowl of creamy soup while they cried jealously over their ham sandwiches (NB: this totally didn’t happen, but I like to fantasise sometimes).

Aaaanyway. What I think I’m trying to say is: you should make this soup, and eat it, and feel wonderful. And with your leftover yogurt, you should make something else. And then something else. And then just keep going until you feel you have sufficiently celebrated Yogurt Week. Then you should visit loveyogurt.org for more information and awesome recipes, and follow loveyogurtuk on Facebook and Twitter. And then you should come back here and show me what you made!

Loooook hooooow creeeeeeamy!

Print Creamy spring vegetable soup Prep Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 15 mins Total Time: 30 mins Servings: 3 -4 Ingredients 1 tbsp oil

1 onion diced

3 cloves garlic minced

125 g frozen peas ~ 1 cup

140 g broccoli florets ~ 1/2 medium head

100 g asparagus ~ 10 spears, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces

750 ml vegetable stock

Black pepper

3 tbsp chives chopped

50 g fresh spinach

2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt heaped Instructions Heat the oil in a large saucepan, and add the onion and garlic. Cook over a medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until fairly soft. Add the peas, broccoli and asparagus, and then pour over the vegetable stock. Season with plenty of black pepper (you will also need some salt if you used low sodium stock).

Bring to a simmer, and cook for around 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender but still bright green. Add the chives and spinach, and cook for a further 1 minute, until the spinach has wilted.

Using an immersion blender , blend the soup until smooth. Add the Greek yoghurt, and mix to combine. Serve topped with any extra yoghurt and chives. Author: Becca Heyes

Like soup? Try my smoky coconut and butternut squash soup (it’s vegan!):