Spring Vegetable Soup with Savoury Buckwheat Granola

I love reading food blogs.  One of my current favorites, Green Kitchen Stories, featured a savoury granola last month that I really wanted to try. It seemed like a great healthy way to add some crunch to your soups and salads. The next step was to find a soup recipe that would work with the granola.  Jamie Oliver’s “Garden Glut” soup seems like a really good match. It is filled with all sorts of lovely spring vegetables and pairs perfectly with the granola.

Both the soup and the granola recipes seem very flexible.  I’m sure the soup would work well with other vegetables, too (ie. broccoli, asparagus, or maybe even, watercress). I think the next time I make the granola I might try it with Moroccan spices and some lemon zest instead.

SOUP
INGREDIENTS:

2 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 leek, sliced
2 sticks of celery, chopped
3 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
1.5 quarts vegetable stock
2 courgettes, sliced
100g fresh peas or broad beans
200g baby spinach
salt and pepper
1-2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
1-2 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1-2 tbsp fresh chives, julienned

PREPARATION:

Place a large soup pot over medium heat and add olive oil. Saute the onions, garlic, leeks and celery for about 5 minutes until soft.

Add peeled potatoes and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then cover and simmer for another 5-7 minutes.  Add the courgettes to the pot and leave to cook for another 2-3 minutes until the courgettes are just cooked through. And lastly, add the peas and spinach to the pot. Once the spinach wilts, take the soup off the heat.

Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can blend the soup in small batches in a regular blender.)

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with savory granola (see recipe below) and the fresh mint, parsley and chives.

Serves 8.

Here’s the link to Jamie Oliver’s original recipe…
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/garden-glut-soup/#PWtqliVJ7QztJri0.97

SAVOURY BUCKWGHEAT GRANOLA
INGREDIENTS:

Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbsp grainy mustard
1 tbsp honey (or maple syrup)
zest from one orange
1-2 tbsp finely chopped thyme
1-2 tbsp finely chopped rosemary
salt and pepper

Dry ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup buckwheat groats (also know as sarrasin or raw buckwheat)
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup hazelnuts

PREPARATION:

Preheat the oven to 180c. Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Add all of the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix well.

Bake for about 20 minutes until crunchy and golden, stirring the granola halfway through to prevent burning.

Store in an airtight jar at room temperature for up to four weeks.

Makes 4 cups.

Here’s the link to the Green Kitchen Stories’ recipe, in case you wanted to checkout their blog.
http://www.greenkitchenstories.com/savoury-buckwheat-granola/

I made this soup and granola earlier this month for Montserrat’s Women’s Yoga Workshop. I wanted to make something that worked with her Ayurvedic approach to the class. Hope you enjoy it!