Super Foods - Leeks

Winter is well and truly here, and on a cold winters evening there is nothing better then a nice warm bowl of soup with some crusty bread. When it comes to soup leeks often play a big role in their make up, with their distinct flavour and aroma. Nutritionally they are great as well as they contain lots of nutrients while remaining low in calories!

Leeks!

Leeks contain lots of antioxidants, so unsurprisingly they have been linked with helping prevent cancer (notably prostrate, ovarian and colon cancers!) while also being thought to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and raise HDL (good) cholesterol.

An Average leek contains:

Kcal	61
Fat	0.3g
Protein	1.5g
Carbs	14g
Fibre	1.8g
Vitamin E	0.8mg
Potassium	180mg
Calcium	59mg

RDA for an adult:

Kcalories	For Men: 2500 For Women: 2000
Fat	65g
Protein	50g
Carbohydrate	300g
Fibre	25g
Vitamin E	30mg
Potassium	3500mg
Calcium	1000mg

As the tables show, leeks are low in calories, fat and also relatively low in carbohydrates. They look fairly low on the other things on the table but they do contain lots of other important things as I mentioned before!

As I was talking about soup before it's only fair that I finish with a recipe for Leek and Potato soup that I've taken from Gino D'acampo's 'Fantistico!'. Its a really cheap recipe that's healthy as well, plus it's freezable so it can be made well in advance!

Leek and Potato soup

Ingredients:

• 60g Butter
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 diced potatoes
• 2 large leeks chopped
• 900ml chicken stock
• 150g rocket leaves
• 150ml double cream

Method:

1. melt the butter in a saucepan then add the onion, potato and leeks and cook for 10 minutes, until the vegetables have softened.
2. Add the chicken stock to the saucepan and then bring to boil. Once it is boiling reduce the heat and leave to simmer with a lid on for about 20 minutes
3. blend the soup until there are no lumps left and then add the rocket and gently heat for another 5-6 minutes
4. Stir in the cream and then season to taste. Serve with croutons and or crusty bread.

You can make this recipe healthier by not adding the double cream though I do find that it gives the soup an extra kick. On the other hand if you want to go the other way and make this recipe taste even better you can grill some bacon bits and then add them to the soup after it has been blended. This meal works well as a main or as a starter and if you make it in advance its a great quick meal after a long day!

Cheers,

Rich