INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon peanut oil
3 large cloves garlic, chopped
4 cm piece of ginger, chopped
½ cup (30g) sliced green onions (shallots)
1 cup (125g) thinly sliced carrot
1 ¼ cup (180g) thinly sliced red capsicum
1 ½ cups (100g) sliced flat mushrooms
1 ½ cups (100g) sliced shitake mushrooms
4 cups (1 litre) water
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and sliced
3 teaspoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 cup tightly packed mint leaves
100g rice vermicelli noodles
100g snow pea sprouts
2 small red chillies, sliced

Serves 4 – each serving contains 3 serves of vegetables

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in large heavy based saucepan over a medium-low heat.
2. Add garlic, ginger and onion and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the carrot, capsicum and mushrooms and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add water, cover and bring to boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add the asparagus and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes or until the asparagus is cooked.
5. Stir the oyster sauce, sugar, lime juice and mint leaves into the soup.
6. Meanwhile, place the vermicelli in a large bowl. Cover with boiling water and leave to stand for 2-3 minutes. Stir to separate the noodles. Drain.
7. Ladle noodles and soup into bowls and top with sprouts and chilli.

HEALTH BEAT

• To make a meal, people with diabetes may need to have extra carbohydrates with this soup, such as a slice of multigrain toast, or a piece of fruit to finish.
• Garlic is a member of the allium family and jam-packed with phytochemicals that have cholesterol-lowering and anti-inflammatory effects.

Per serve:

933 kilojoules (223 calories)
9g of protein
5g total fat (1g saturated fat)
Low GI
34g total carbohydrate (2 exchanges)
7g of fibre
195mg of sodium

Courtesy of Health Food the Healthy Heart Cookbook