Spicy Spinach Soup

I am always in search of some quick soup recipes.
Its quite boring to spend hours making a soup that finishes in a bowl or two..just not worth it!

Now that the pleasant weather comes to an end slowly...and steadily...my soup season is coming to an end. So I am trying my best to make sure it is in our diet as much as possible these days.

Spinach is one of the green leafy vegetable..i love avoiding in my diet. But when i found this spiced spinach soup recipe..i thought it was a great way to get spinach into everybody. One of the best positives about this one is that it absolutely KILLS the taste of spinach. :)

So heres the recipe,

Serves : 5 - 6 people
Level: Easy

Ingredients:
3 medium spinach bunches
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1.5 inch cinnamon sticks
2 green chillies, chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 inch ginger, finely chopped
1 cup milk
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 tblsp oil

Method:
Step 1 - Firstly, boil a huge pot of water. When it comes to a roaring boil plunge in the spinach leaves and push them under water. Let this boil for no more than 2 mins. Drain in a colander and pour cold water over it. This will help spinach retain its fresh green color.

Step 2 - Put this spinach in a mixer bowl, add in 1 cup of milk and puree it. Keep aside. With the above quantity and a normal sized mixer, I had to do this in 2 parts.

Step 3 - Take another vessel and heat oil in it. When warm, add in the cinnamon stick and saute for a min. Then add in the ginger, garlic and chillies and saute for 2 mins till garlic slightly changes color. Then add in onions, and saute till brownish.

Step 4 - Add in the spinach puree, salt, pepper and water till you reach the desired consistency and boil for 5 mins.

Serve hot.

I like this soup as it is. My husband takes immense efforts to make this soup unhealthy, by having it with cheese cubes!! but trust me, if weight is not an issue or you are someone that indulges once in a while, this tastes awesome!!! The cheese perfectly softens in the hot soup and its just gooily YUM!

Milk is added to give this soup a creamy texture. Try not to avoid it!

Rack your brains!
Spinach is a very nutrient- dense food.
It's low in calories yet very high in vitamins, minerals and other phytonutrients.
This leafy green is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, magnesium, iron, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin B2, potassium and vitamin B6.
It's a great source of protein, phosphorus, vitamin E, zinc, dietary fiber and copper.
Plus, its a good source of selenium, niacin and omega-3 fatty acids.

but beware...
- The oxalates in spinach may interfere with the absorption of calcium.
- People who has kidney or gallbladder problems may want to be careful about eating this green.
- Its possible that it can interefere with proper thyroid gland functioning, although cooking may reduce the goitrogenic compounds.
- Gout-prone people may be affected by the purines in this food.
- Spinach is one of the high pesticide- containing foods, so it's important to eat organic spinach if you can.