5-2 Diet Recipe and Celeriac – a REALLY Useful Ingredient

5:2 Diet Recipe – Celeriac and Watercress Soup

My holiday in Sicily and a backload of work has meant I’ve really been slacking a bit with the 5:2 diet and low calorie recipes.  When I have managed a 5:2 diet fast day, the food I’ve eaten has been extremely simple and not really worthy of writing up as a recipe.  But, today I had enough time to actually plan a day of fasting and I also had a lovely celeriac root that I bought at Aldeburgh.  

I was curious about celeriac because I’ve seen a number of low calorie recipes where it is used as a substitute for potato. And,personally I love celeriac and potato mash (which turns out to be much healthier than potato alone).  I thought it might be a bit bland on it’s own, so by combining with spicy watercress I got this gorgeous watercress soup for the 5:2 diet.

Why am I so excited?  Well winter soups for me need to be thick and substantial.  And adding in potato or rice adds in calories.  Side by side, celeriac looks like a winner!  It has around 30 calories per 100g, about half the amount of potato.  So, you can reduce the calories by a quarter in your mash just by making it 50/50 with celeriac.  I think it tastes better too.  It’s also high in fibre, vitamin C and potassium.

Watercress is another low calorie (10 calories per 100 grams).  High in vitamin A and Vitamin C and full of flavour, it was the focus of the Great British Food Revival last week.  Well, sadly the 5:2 diet doesn’t allow us to use cream and butter in large quantities, but I can promise you that this nutty soup really didn’t need the addition of either.  I didn’t even want to add low fat yoghurt or creme fraiche!  It does taste of celery, but the celeriac is milder than using the sticks and add texture and body, while the watercress is peppery and fresh.

5-2 diet celeriac and watercress soup

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Serves	2-3
Prep time	10 minutes
Cook time	25 minutes
Total time	35 minutes
Dietary	Vegan, Vegetarian
Meal type	Lunch, Soup
Misc	Freezable

Ingredients

• 1 Celeriac Root ((about 300g))
• 1 bag Watercress ((or a largish bunch))
• 600ml Chicken or Vegetable Stock (Home made if you can, or, a good quality bought stock. I use Knorr touch of taste)
• 1 Small Leek (Cleaned and Sliced. You can use an onion if you don't have a leek to hand)
• 1 teaspoon Olive oil

Directions

Step 1	Peel the celeriac and cut into 1 inch cubes. Add the celeriac and leek to a largish pan, toss in oil and sweat over a gentle heat for 5 minutes
Step 2	Pour over the stock, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until the celeriac cubes are soft
Step 3	Add in the watercress and wilt for 5 minutes
Step 4	Blitz with a stick blender till you get the consistency you like. I prefer leaving in nubbles of celeriac and flecks of watercress, but you can make this soup completely smooth if you like
Step 5	Season with plenty of salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve

I really do recommend this soup. The calories per portion work out at about 80, but, it tastes a lot richer and apparently the high fibre content is what helps make this a really filling recipe. I shall try some other 5:2 diet options with celeriac because with only 40 calories per 100g, I suspect I can really indulge in some lovely ideas (thinking 5-2 diet fish cakes, cottage pie etc).
My 5:2 Diet day comprised of low fat yoghurt for breakfast with just a little honey. Then a large bowl of celeriac and watercress soup for lunch. And finally, my Sicilian Aubergine and Tuna dish with Courgetti for dinner. Today’s calorie count was just under 400 but I really didn’t feel hungry! I feel so much better for doing the diet, and when I am not eating TOO many review meals I am gradually losing weight – so hurrah for the 5:2 diet – it’s a life changer for me!