Low Fat, Low Sugar: Essential vegetarian collection - Rose Elliot

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but making your own is so easy and you know exactly what’s in it. The only time when a supermarket oil spray is useful is for greasing cake tins (pans), although if you use non-stick baking parchment you don’t need it.

      When making a soup I generally start by sautéing an onion and any other vegetables in a tablespoonful of olive oil or a small amount of butter, as I have found that this gives the soup a superior flavour. However, wanting to keep the recipes as ‘pure’ as possible, I also experimented with dry-frying the onion and other vegetables before adding the stock or water and found that this also worked well. This process seems to draw out the flavour and, if you allow the vegetables to brown, caramelises their natural sugars and adds to the finished taste of the soup. So after much testing and experimenting, I decided to use this method as a basis for many of the soups. However, if you want to add a little fat, sautéing in 1 teaspoon of olive oil will usually add only about 1 gram of fat per serving.

      Good stock can also contribute enormously to the success of a soup and is not difficult to come by now that you can buy vegetable stock in supermarkets or make up your own from good quality stock cubes or – my favourite – vegetable bouillon powder.

      Of course in low-fat cookery you can’t rely on a splash of cream to add the final touch to soup and a spoonful of low-fat yogurt somehow doesn’t have the same effect. I think that often the nicest finishing touch is a generous scattering of chopped fresh herbs, which are easy to get almost anywhere all the year round.

      Pale green flageolet beans give this soup a delicate flavour, plentiful nutrients and a slightly thickened texture. You can buy them in cans at large supermarkets.

      serves 4

      2 leeks, sliced

      425g/15oz can flageolet beans

      600ml/20fl oz/21/2cups vegetable stock or water

      1 bunch or packet of watercress

      salt and freshly ground black pepper

      Put the leek into a non-stick pan, cover and cook very gently for about 7 minutes, until the leek is becoming tender, stirring from time to time. Drain and rinse the beans, then add them to the pan along with the stock or water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and leave to boil gently for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are fully cooked. Put a ladleful of the soup into a food processor or blender with the watercress and whiz to a purée. Return this to the saucepan, stir and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring back to just below boiling point and serve.

      Butternut squash has a glorious dense golden flesh with a very sweet flavour. I think the best way to cook it, to bring out all the flavour, is to bake it. The squash can be baked in advance, when convenient, then you can whiz up this delicious soup in the minimum of time.

      serves 4

      1 butternut squash

      1 onion, chopped

      1 large garlic clove, chopped

      1tsp ground cumin

      600ml/20fl oz/21/2cups vegetable stock or water

      salt and freshly ground black pepper

      Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.

      Cut the squash in half, down through its stem. Scoop out the seeds, then put the halves cut-side down on to a baking tray and bake for 45–60 minutes, or until they are tender, turning them over about half way through cooking time. Cool. Scoop the flesh away from the skin using a spoon and discard the skin. All this can be done well in advance if convenient.

      When you’re ready to make the soup, put the onion into a non-stick pan, cover and cook gently for about 7 minutes, until the onion is tender and lightly browned, stirring from time to time. Add the garlic and cumin, stir over the heat for a few seconds, until the cumin smells aromatic, then add the squash flesh and the stock or water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and leave to boil gently for about 10 minutes, to allow all the flavours to blend and to ensure everything is cooked. Purée in a food processor or blender. Add a little more stock or water if necessary to get the consistency to your liking. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve.

      Lentil soup is always soothing and sustaining, and this is a particularly delicious recipe for this favourite. If you have a pressure cooker, you can speed up the cooking time by cooking at high pressure, after the lentils and stock or water have been added, for 5 minutes.

      serves 4

      2 onions, chopped

      2 carrots, sliced

      225g/8oz/heaping 1 cup red lentils

      1 litre/35fl oz/41/2 cups vegetable stock or water

      2 garlic cloves

      salt and freshly ground black pepper

      Put the onion into a non-stick pan, cover and cook gently for about 7 minutes, until the onion is tender and lightly browned, stirring from time to time. Add the carrot, lentils and the stock or water, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and leave to boil gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are pale golden and soft. Put in a food processor or blender with the garlic and whiz until smooth. Return to the saucepan and simmer gently for 3–4 minutes to cook the garlic. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

      An unusual, delicious and filling soup.

      serves 4

      1 onion, chopped

      450g/1lb potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm/1/2 in dice

      1 large garlic clove, chopped

      walnut-sized piece of fresh ginger, chopped

      425g/15oz can chick peas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed

      425g/15oz can tomatoes in juice

      600ml/20fl oz/21/2 cups vegetable stock or water

      salt and freshly ground black pepper

      Put the onion into a non-stick pan, cover and cook gently for about 7 minutes, until the onion is tender and lightly browned, stirring from time to time. Add the potato, cover and cook gently for 5 minutes, until the vegetables are becoming tender, stirring from time to time to prevent sticking. Add the garlic and ginger; cook for a few seconds, stirring, to cook them lightly, then add the chick peas (garbanzo beans), tomatoes and stock or water. Bring to the boil, then cover, reduce the heat and leave to boil gently for 15–20 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

      In this soup, the onions are first browned slowly in very little oil, before the stock is added.

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