My parents have been visiting this past week and they have taken the time to share some new recipes that they have been cooking. This recipe was originally from Jamie Oliver’ Food Revolutions, but they have turned it into a vegetarian/vegan recipe rather than the chicken recipe.

I wanted to share it with you, as it can be a wonderful soup to make if you are coming down with something or you just need something to warm you up after a cold rainy day.

Ingredients
1-2 Tablespoons mixed seeds (sesame, pumpkin, poppy, sunflower, etc)
1 hand full of cashews
1 quart organic vegetable broth
2 teaspoon five spice powder
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
1 thumb-sized piece fresh root ginger
½ to 1 fresh red chili, to your taste
4oz rice sticks or vermicelli
1 handful of snow peas
6 thin or 4 thick asparagus sticks
½ - 1 cup stir fry veggies – carrots, onion, garlic, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, celery tops
1 potato – cut in small pieces
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
Juice of 1 lime
Small handful of spinach leaves
 
Instructions
Put a medium frying pan or wok on high heat and add seeds and cashews straight away while it is heating up. Put large saucepan on high heat and pour vegetable broth and potatoes, head until very hot and put a lid on it. Toss seeds and nuts until heated thru nicely for a couple of minutes. When the seeds are toasted, set aside.
Add a little olive oil to empty frying pan/wok on high heat and add veggies and season to taste. Lightly stir-fry them.
Peel and finely slice ginger, and chili. Add the ginger chili; rice sticks, snow peas, asparagus, other veggies and 2 tablespoons soy sauce to the boiling broth. Bring back to a boil and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Halve the lime and squeeze in the juice.
To serve, divide spinach leaves into bowels and pour the broth, veggies and rice sticks over spinach. Top with toasted nuts and seeds. Add soy sauce to taste if desired.
What is great about this soup is you can add whatever veggies you want to it. You can even add in cooked chicken if you would like. Fill it full of fresh veggies, make it as spicy as you would like, but mostly enjoy cooking it for yourself and loved ones.