Vegetable Soup

This is a real winter warming soup and it feels hearty and filling.
You will need:
­ 1 large onion finely chopped,
­ 1 clove garlic finely chopped,
­ 1kg (2.2lb) of root vegetables (carrots, parsnips, swede, potatoes, and turnips) chopped into 1 inch cubes,
­ Olive oil for cooking (approximately 2 tablespoons),
­ 1.5 pints of vegetable stock (home-made or from a sugar free stock cube).

What you do with all this:
­ Heat the olive oil in a large pan.
­ Fry the onion and garlic lightly until the onion becomes transparent.
­ Add all the vegetables and give them a good stir.
­ Add the vegetable stock and bring everything to the boil.
­ Reduce the heat and simmer lightly for about 30 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked.
­ Turn off the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
­ Leave chunky, or use a hand held blender to blend the mixture until smooth.

Add a dash of Tabasco if you like your soup with a bite or freshly ground pepper