A no-brainer way to pack some leafy greens into your day, this verdant beauty delivers hefty amounts of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fibre. Adding the lemon lifts the flavour from earthy to heavenly. Sprinkling some seeds on top will add a hit of protein, while chucking some lockdown home-baked bread on the side gives you the perfect lunch.

A couple of reasons why it’s a bowl of green goodness:

Broccoli hails from the cruciferous family of vegetables, notable for being rich in beneficial plant compounds called glucosinolates. Once eaten, these get converted into substances that are thought to have cancer-protective properties. This green god of the veg world also has huge amounts of vitamin C, crucial for immune response, and bone-friendly vitamin K amongst many other helpful nutrients.

Leeks come from the allium family, and have an abundance of prebiotics – a type of fibre that stimulates the growth of the good bugs in your gut – so great news for digestive health. They also deliver antioxidants, vitamin C, B6 and folate.

Ingredients

2tsp coconut oil (or light olive oil)

2 medium leeks, chopped

2 sticks celery, chopped

3-4cm ginger, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 green chilli, chopped (deseeded for less heat)

1 head broccoli, chopped (include the stalk)

2 handfuls spinach

1.5l vegetable stock

Juice of 1 lemon

Directions

Heat the coconut oil in a large saucepan. Add leeks and celery and fry for 5 minutes. Add ginger, garlic and chilli and fry for a further 2 minutes.
Add broccoli, spinach and vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Simmer, partly covered, for around 20 minutes, until the broccoli is tender.
Leave to cool slightly then blend. Add lemon juice and seasoning to taste.

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