Now to focus on a few savoury successes along my vegan keto journey .

As part of my experiment I knew I needed to find quick simple dishes that I could make in a batch and freeze. This soup is a great freezer option as I could eat with or without toppings and also vary the toppings depending on what I had to hand or what I fancied, giving extra variety.

If you chop your roast veg into smallish pieces and use quick cook varieties such as cauliflower, broccoli and courgette you have a meal ready to go in 15 minutes... most often the time it took me to get in from the gym, prep and put the veg in the oven and have a shower whilst it cooked!

The flavours are what make this soup, again you can very your seasons with the toppings, or toss seeds and nuts in top instead of veg. Experiment to find your on preference- powerful smoky flavours work well, be sure to include enough salt. I've been adding a little extra himalayan sea salt to myself dishes compared to pre-keto to ensure I get the minerals.

I also added a sprinkle chilli roasted pumpkin seeds for some extra kick and crunch!

In case you're thinking 'there isn't much protein in this dish', I tend to get the bulk of my protein needs in my snacks- nuts and hemp protein. That said, green veggies are a good secondary protein source and you could always increase the seeds on top or add a little silken tofu to the blend.

Recipe: Green veggie soup with roasted topping

Serves 2 (double up and freeze some!)

Ingredients:

1 large leek- chopped
4 cups cauliflower – chopped (3 blended, 1 roasted for top)
4 cups broccoli – chopped (3 blended, 1 roasted for top)
3 ½ cups water
2 cups kale
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp smoked garlic powder*
2 bay leaves
handful parsely
sprig of thyme
1 tsp turmeric
extra roasted veg on top*

*Note: I used the chopped cauliflower and broccoli plus 2 cups of chopped aubergine. I mixed these with 1 tbs melted coconut oil, ¼ tsp salt and extra fresh mixed herbs

Method:

Prepare the veg for roasting if applicable. Roast for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil or steam the chopped cauliflower and broccoli for approx 10 minutes or until just tender. Add the kale, water and remaining ingredients and simmer for a further 5-10 minutes until the kale is cooked.

Remove the bay leaves and blend the soup until smooth.

Serve into bowls and top with the roasted veg.

* If you can’t find smoked garlic, another smoked herb/spice could work well. It just helps add depth of flavour.