Hearty veggie soup to help fight high blood pressure

Looking for meal ideas that are great for your health and taste delicious, too? Check out this recipe for a Mediterranean roasted vegetable soup, which is easy to make, tasty and may help reduce blood pressure. What more could you want?

Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4

15 ml (1 tbsp) olive oil
5 garlic cloves (peeled)
350 g (12 oz) all-purpose potatoes, unpeeled and cut into 1 cm (1⁄2 in) chunks
2 peppers (green and yellow), cut into 1 cm (1⁄2 in) squares
2 ml (1/2 tsp) rosemary, minced
1 yellow squash, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1 cm (1⁄2 in) slices
1 large red onion, cut into 1 cm (1⁄2 in)
Carrot juice 375 g (12 oz)
Plum tomatoes, diced (5 ml)
(1 tsp) tarragon
175 ml (3/4 c) water
Salt for taste

• Preheat oven to 230°C (450°F). Combine oil and garlic in roasting pan and roast until oil begins to sizzle, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes, peppers and rosemary, and toss to coat. Roast until potatoes begin to colour and soften, about 15 minutes.

• Then, add squash and onion, and roast until squash is tender, about 15 minutes.

• In medium Dutch oven, combine carrot juice, tomatoes, tarragon and salt, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Spoon roasted vegetables into Dutch oven.

• Pour water into roasting pan and scrape up any browned bits that cling to pan. Pour pan juices into Dutch oven. Cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Instead of using all-purpose potatoes in this recipe, try the Yukon Gold variety, which has a rich, buttery taste. Additionally, putting carrot juice in place of broth increases the nutritional value of the soup without sacrificing flavour.

• Use zucchini instead of yellow squash. When picking summer squashes, select ones that seem heavy for their size. Otherwise, they may be dry inside and have less flavour.

Intensely coloured vegetable ingredients, like carrots and tomatoes, provide you with potent, disease-fighting carotenoids, such as beta-carotene and lycopene.

Each serving produces the following:

Key nutrients:

• 210 Calories
• 40 Calories from Fat
• 4 g Fat
• 1 g Saturated Fat
• 0 g Trans Fat
• 5 g Protein
• 41 g Carbohydrates
• 6 g Fibre
• 40 mg Sodium

Blood pressure nutrients:

• 99 mg Vitamin C
• 66 mg Magnesium
• 1067 mg Potassium
• 64 mg Calcium.

For added bite, try this soup with a thick slice (or two) of rustic bread. The soft dough will soak up the broth to every last delicious drop.  It's a perfect combination for a cozy night in.