Improve your health + lighten up with nutritious Leeks this Spring!

Do you love to create lighter meals after the cold months?  I do. I love to shift into a lighter menu, in April or May.  Where I live in southern Ontario, our spring can vary.
Our days fluctuate between just above freezing to 'summer like' weather and truthfully, it can often feel like a revolving door.  I find that soups can be a super choice, as they are still warming but we can create lighter soups to enjoy + change them up depending upon our individual whim of the moment!!  Do you have a favourite light soup?  I have several and today I want to talk about the delight of creating meals with nutritious leeks

Leeks are low in calories, high in fiber, and have zero fat. In fact, 1 cup of cooked leeks has only 31 calories!

Leeks are widely known vegetables that have been used in local cuisines for hundreds of years. Their healing  properties make them a preferred ingredient for chefs and home cooks alike who want to create healthy meals.  This superfood, in fact, contains high levels of flavonoids, vitamins A, E, and K + fibers.

Nutritious LEEKS ~ Highlights

• Heart healthy
• Immune boosting
• Nervous system support
• Excellent support for your eyes, including reduction of risk for cataracts
• Improves Digestion
• May help reduce hypertension
• Helps with weight reduction
• Believed to strengthen bones
• Contains anti-cancer components
• Supportive in treatment of type 2 diabetes

Leeks contain high levels of vitamins A,E and K plus flavonoids + fibre. Excellent source of Calcium, Copper, Iron, Magnesium +  Potassium
Good sources of carotene, lutein, Zeaxanthin (why this matters)

Leeks can be steamed fried, braised, boiled in soups or stocks as well as roasted in an oven,!
I love to caramelize them as much as I love to caramelize  onions!!

NUTRITIONAL LEEKS ~ some Q + A:

Can I Eat the Green Part of the Leeks?

There are several ways to clean leeks. I simply cut the root off the end and compost. I normally then remove the dark very fibrous part as it is very tough.
The remaining parts of the leek;  white and green.. I slice lengthwise and fan out the layers of the leeks while holding under a stream of warm water.
(Rachel Ray taught about this method last week (lol) and I've tried it since. The warm water helps any sand to simply wash away. Cold water can make the
sand/dirt clump up, so use warm water for sure!)

Ok.. Hoping that has cleared up any questions. Let's talk about some ways to use this very nutrient dense vegetable !!!

Here's the way we make a lovely SPRING LEEK soup in my house.. The recipe is a basic template and I've shared the 'add-ons' that we typically add.
You can make this your own by using this template + adding a few or all of the 'optional ingredients' or some of your own!
See below for "DIY Potato + Leek soup"

Nutritious Leek Soup:

Print

Nutritious Leek Soup ~ A template

Course Main Course

Keyword leeks

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1 tablespoon avocado or coconut or olive oil
• 1 litre/quart chicken stock or veggie if you prefer
• 1-2 teaspoon Sea Salt
• 3 small to medium leeks or 2 large, cleaned, chopped
• Water optional to add more volume + create thinner soup if desired
• Optional:
• raw garlic finely chopped
• horseradish root grated
• Nutmeg fresh grated, just a dash
• Paprika just a dash..
• Black pepper to taste
• Hot Sauce your heat preference.. 2 drops or 10..
• Tamari just a dash
• Parsley flat leaf, in the soup + as a garnish

Instructions

1. Saute onion in a large pot with oil.
2. Add 1 liter broth/stock. Stir
3. Add the salt
4. Add  the leeks and simmer for 15 minutes
5. Use immersion blender* to puree the soup
6. Add water to increase volume or if you prefer a looser or thinner soup.
7. Add the optional ingredients to the pot while on low heat. Stir to combine well!
8. Ready to serve!
9. * several choices here: use a hand-held immersion blender or a regular blender OR don't blend at all. Or blend a little but leave some leeks in the pot. Your Choice!

Recipe Notes

Notes:

If you prefer to make a Leek + Potato Soup ~~
add 2-3 potatoes, cubed to the pot when you add the leeks, and increase the salt.. 

This classic "Leek + Potato Soup" ~ aka Vichysoisse -- can be served warm, hot( as above), or cold as a chilled soup!
ALL are delicious. Check out this post for the complete recipe!

Leek soup has become famous recently as "Magic Leek Soup" -- from the hit 'Netflix' series "Emily in Paris".  I enjoyed the series as it was fun to watch + reminded me of my year in France when I was a teenager!!  This infamous leek soup-- more like 'leek water', first came to my attention years ago, however, courtesy of  Mireille Guiliano  who wrote :  "Why French Women don't get Fat" The custom of eating this 'magic soup', is a longtime tradition over generations of French women as a part of a weight loss regimen. She writes about it extensively in ths entertaining book.

Here's the quick version. It's very easy:
Clean and chop 5 leeks.  Cover with water in a large pot. Simmer the mixture for 20-30 minutes. Strain + sip throughout the day. (enjoy the leeks later)

I just came across a Gordon Ramsey recipe so thought I'd share as it sounds wonderful!!
Season leeks with soy, maple, sesame oil, and mirin.(a type of Japanese rice wine)
Top with sliced garlic and a few knobs of butter around the outside of the pan.
Add just enough stock to cover leeks halfway, bring to a boil and pop into over to roast until caramelized and tender when pierced with a knife.

Here's to wonderful healthy + fun-filled Spring/Summer seasons enjoying an herb-infused life !!

Green wishes,  Carol xo