Superfoods for runners and anyone else plus a delish recipe...

There are lots of magazines, websites, articles, etc that talk about 'the best foods for runners' and 'superfoods' and so on. I read a lot of them and actually think that what a lot of them have to say is very on to it. However, a lot of the things they mention are things you might have to travel half way across the world to get, or pay ridiculous amounts for. So here are my super foods... Things that are easy to get, cheap when in season and deliciously fresh... The super foods I am talking about are veges that have come from our garden, in particular. Followed by a great recipe.

So... We have a garden! It is so cool growing your own veges and then actually being able to EAT them! We were a little late planting last year and because this summer has been slightly drier than last year's, things have been a bit slower to grow. But things have finally started to sprout and it is great. The only problem is that everything is all ready at the same time. So instead of getting a broccoli a week, we get three in one week.

Today we reaped this harvest...

Broccoli, broad beans and regular beans, potatoes, cherry tomatoes and a rock melon... YUM!

Since we have these two broccoli, plus 1 more in the fridge that we cut yesterday, I thought I would make some soup so they didn't just end up going off. The recipe for this broccoli soup came from this website, but here it is here also.

Ingredients:
1 dessertspoon of oil - I use olive but you could use anything
1 onion, finely chopped
450g broccoli - this is about 2 small broccoli or 1.5 large ones, finely chopped
285g potatoes peeled and diced
1100mL chicken or vege stock (if your vegetarian use vege stock)
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste - I also throw in a few other seasonings, whatever is in the cupboard at the time.

Method:
1. sweat the onion over gently heat in oil until soft
2. Add all the other ingredients and simmer gently until soft:

Everything simmering and softening in the pan.

3. Liquidize the soup - I use my food processor but you could also use a stick blender or a normal blender, whatever you have.
4. Check seasoning, add anything if need be
5. Serve and garnish with chopped parsley, croutons or parmesan (what I used), or whatever you like.
It makes enough for 4 servings - unless you love it so much you want to eat it all!

The final product garnished with some parmesan - it tastes soooo much better than it looks, trust me!

I know it's not the nicest looking soup but it is sooo delicious, especially with some whole grain toast to dip in. It is also high in fibre with all the broccoli and it is super easy and quick to make. Tim and I both had it for lunch today and it kept us full all afternoon. Have a go at making it, and have a go at growing your own veges, it is the best feeling eating food you have grown yourself!

Do you have a vege garden, or have you ever tried growing fruit or veges before?

What do you have in your garden?