• Home
  • Travel UK
  • Travel Europe
    • Belgium
    • Croatia
    • Czech Republic
    • First Visit
      • Bulgaria
      • Netherlands
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Slovenia
    • France
    • Germany
    • Greece
    • Italy
      • Sicily
    • Ireland
    • Portugal
    • Spain
    • UK
  • Travel General
    • Caribbean
    • Ecuador
    • Egypt
    • India
    • Mexico
    • Oman
    • Sri Lanka
    • USA
  • Recipes
    • Soups
    • Lunch
    • starter
    • Mains
    • side dish
    • Desserts
    • Cocktails and Drinks
    • Cakes and Sweets
    • 5:2 Diet Recipes
    • Vegetarian
    • Fish and Shellfish
    • Poultry
    • Meat
    • Balcony Gardening
  • Restaurants
    • Chelsea
    • Kings Cross
    • Knightsbridge
    • Marylebone
    • Mayfair
    • Oxford Circus
    • Soho
    • South London
    • North London
    • Victoria and Pimlico
    • West London
    • Out of London
  • Events
    • London Life
      • Foodie London
      • Visiting London – Five Must Do Sights
      • Visiting London – London Travel Tips
      • Miscellaneous
  • Giveaway
  • April 22, 2018

London Unattached - London Lifestyle Blog

Luxury London Lifestyle Blog for the over 40s with food, travel, diet and restaurant reviews - London Unattached

5-2 Diet Carrot and Cumin Soup

February 13, 2013 by Fiona Maclean 5 Comments

Carrot and Cumin Soup – Frugal 5-2 Diet Fast Day Recipe:

At this time of year when the weather is cold and winter seems to have gone on for ever, warming soups are a real mainstay for me, especially when I am on a 5-2 diet fast day.  Luckily, seasonal root vegetables like carrots and celeriac make great soups which can also be ‘made-to-measure’ by adding more or less of things that quickly add calories.

5-2 diet carrot and cumin soup with coconut milk

This particular soup is a really good example.  You can make a luxurious and rich carrot soup with a whole can of coconut milk.  But, since a can of full fat coconut milk has 812 calories, and even the half fat sort has 270 calories, it isn’t really a great way to eat on a 5-2 diet day.  And, one thing I’ve discovered is that if you add the coconut milk at the very end, you get an intense flavour and a creamier finish with just a tiny amount.

Slimline Carrot and Cumin Soup

Print recipe
  • Print with main photo
  • Print text only
Slimline Carrot and Cumin Soup
Serves 4
Prep time 5 minutes
Cook time 30 minutes
Total time 35 minutes
Dietary Vegan, Vegetarian
asdasdasdasd Soup
Misc Pre-preparable, Serve Hot

Ingredients

  • 250g Carrots (Peeled, top and tailed and cut into small chunks)
  • 2 Medium Onions (Peeled and chopped)
  • 500ml Water
  • 40ml Coconut milk
  • 4 shots 1-cal oil
  • 1-2 teaspoon Cumin seeds
  • Fresh parsley or coriander (to serve)
  • 1 teaspoon Marigold Bouillon (or a stock cube of your choice)

Directions

Step 1 Spray a heavy saucepan with 1cal oil and add the onion and cumin seeds. Cook over a gentle heat for about 8 minutes till the onion has softened
Step 2 Add the carrot and cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring constantly
Step 3 Top up with the water and bring to a gentle boil, adding in the stock or bouillon.
Step 4 Simmer for 15-20 minutes until soft, then blitz with a hand blender or in a liquidiser
Step 5 Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as required
Step 6 Serve with a small amount of coconut milk stirred through and garnished with parsley or coriander

So this recipe for 5-2 diet carrrot and cumin soup just uses a teaspoon or two of coconut milk stirred through each bowlful of soup.  On that basis, the calorie count  for this soup is 71 (with two teaspoons of coconut milk per bowl).

carrot and cumin soup 5-2 diet

 

Of course if you are not on the 5-2 diet and you want a richer and more luxurious soup, you can just reduce the amount of water and add more coconut milk, up to the full can!

I’m still enjoying following the 5-2 diet and unbelievably I am still losing weight (despite all the meals out).  I’m increasingly aware not only of calories but also of portion size.  I’ve worked out that for me, I need ingredients that are low calorie with high bulk, like celery or carrots.  And portion size is key to success.  If you are planning on including pasta, rice, potatoes or even things like oil or coconut milk, it’s very important to check the weight of your ingredients.  100g of potato is only one small potato!  And when you are using something like rice or pasta you also need to check whether the calorie count you are using is for the dried or cooked weight!

I’ve used Cumin as the seasoning in this soup.  You can easily vary it by using ground coriander, ginger or even curry powder depending on your personal taste.  And, if you are really trying to keep the calories down, leave out the coconut milk for a soup that is just 50 calories for a bowl! Perfect 5-2 diet fast day food!

 

 

Related Post

Low Calorie Leek and Potato Soup
Low Calorie Bolognese with Vegetable Spaghetti
Low Calorie Chilli Con Carne with Cauli Rice for t...
Low Calorie Miso Glazed Black Cod and More

Filed Under: 5:2 Diet Recipes, Soups Tagged With: 5-2 diet recipe, 5-2 diet soup, carrot, cumin, low calorie recipe, low calorie soup

About Fiona Maclean

London based freelance writer and marketing consultant. I edit London-Unattached.com and write for a number of other publications

Comments

  1. stevie says

    February 13, 2013 at 8:52 pm

    I love how you put this all together.. recipe, lots of photos and the important nutritional details. Do you have a site that gives you all the nutritional stuff or is it from a book?

    Reply
  2. Jess @UsedYorkCity says

    February 14, 2013 at 2:02 pm

    Mmm, this sounds very refreshing! I love coconut flavoring in my food…it always reminds me of eating at Thai restaurants!:-)

    Reply
  3. Margot @ Coffee & Vanilla says

    February 17, 2013 at 9:37 am

    It looks like this 5:2 diet is not hard to put in life… I make similar carrot soup quite often, I would only have to cut down on the cream I like to top it with 🙂

    Reply
    • Fiona Maclean says

      February 17, 2013 at 9:49 am

      honestly, it’s very doable, you just need to stick to something like a low calorie soup for lunch and a vegetable/lentil stew for supper and no snacks or cakes!

      Reply
  4. Judith Luscombe says

    September 4, 2013 at 11:07 pm

    This is a lovely recipe the Slica would have been really useful

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Follow Me

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter

Find Me

blogl

About London-Unattached

  • About Fiona Maclean
    • Writing for Other Publications
  • Enquiries/PR
  • Links to Other Sites
  • London Unattached Contributors
  • London Unattached Privacy Policy
  • Travel Bloggers Influencer Network

London Unattached Tumblr

  • April 12th  - National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day

    The USA celebrates National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day on April 12th.   Well, why not?   Regarded as one of the top comfort foods in America, the version we eat today originated in the 1920s when sliced bread and American cheese became easily available.  

    image

    Of course, those of you from the USA and those of you wishing to join the celebrations can do so in London!  Head for the glamorous art-deco inspired Colony Grill at the Beaumont Hotel and you’ll find the menu offers a Grilled Cheese sandwich with Dill Pickle, perfect for National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day.  While you are there, enjoy a cocktail or three - and perhaps a couple of other American classics - we love the Buttermilk Fried Chicken and perhaps Bananas Foster flambeed in dark rum for dessert. 

    Enjoy!

    Colony Grill
    The Beaumont  Brown Hart Gardens
    Mayfair  London  W1K 6TF 
     

Recently Published

  • Italian Style from Alessandro Colli and La Belle Assiette
  • Great British Beef Week at the White Swan Chophouse
  • What To Wear To Quebec In Winter – Cold Weather Packing
  • Circus Abyssinia: Ethiopian Dreams
  • Cinnamon Kitchen comes to Battersea
Find My 5:2 Diet Recipes quickly and easily

Search London Unattached



copyright © london-unattached.com

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy