Root vegetable winter broth

Warming vegetable recipe

One thing that’s certain is that over the festive season we all eat a little bit out of the ordinary. With so many temptations it's not uncommon to consume double your normal-allocated calorie intake and then some (this is not an open challenge!) My take on the classic broth uses a lot of seasonal root vegetables. Carbohydrate comes in the form of pearl barley (which can be replaced with brown rice) because this grain holds it’s firm texture really well. And the lean protein in the turkey also doesn't break down when re-heated. Start to finish, this low calorie but hearty and healthy broth takes less than an hour to prepare and cook. So hopefully this will kick start your healthy New Year.

 

Ingredients

2 medium carrots

1 stick of celery

1 1/2 medium leeks

1 small swede

1 large parsnip

1 medium onion

75g unsalted butter

150g pearl barley

300g diced lean white meat

2 litres of fresh chicken or turkey stock

Bunch of fresh parsley, finely chopped

Method

1. Start by dicing all the vegetables. It’s important that they are all roughly the same size to ensure they cook evenly. Melt the butter over a medium heat in a medium saucepan and cook the vegetables for 3/4 minutes over a medium heat.

2. Add the pearl barley and raw diced meat and cook for a further 2/3 minutes.

 

3. Cover with the stock and bring to the boil and then simmer for 35-40 minutes, until the pearl barley is soft and tender. Add seasoning at this stage. To serve, stir in the fresh parsley at the very last minute to retain freshness and texture.

4. This broth keeps really well in the fridge and in my opinion almost improves after a day in the fridge. A tbsp of fresh pesto added before serving would also add another dimension. Enjoy.

Ingredients

2 medium carrots 1 stick of celery 1 1/2 medium leeks 1 small swede 1 large parsnip 1 medium onion 75g unsalted butter 150g pearl barley 300g diced lean white meat 2 litres of fresh chicken or turkey stock Bunch of fresh parsley, finely chopped

Vital Statistics

Serves: 6-8
Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking: 50 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Good for: Pre or post training lunch
Calories (kcal): 318
Protein (g): 20
Carbs (g): 24
Fat (g): 16
Fiber (g): 37
http://www.realbuzz.com/articles/root-vegetable-winter-broth/