Help out your immune system with this tasty soup

Fight back against the winter blues, and flu season, with this immune-boosting soup. Packed with delicious vegetables and plenty of vitamin C, it can help you stay healthy during those colder months.

• 125 ml (1/2 c) dried shiitake mushrooms
• 350 ml (1 1/2 c) boiling water
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large carrot, thinly sliced
• 1 large parsnip (250 g/8 oz), thinly sliced
• 1 small head green cabbage (725 g/1 1/2 lb/about 8 c), shredded
• 275 g (1 1/4 c) frozen baby lima beans
• 75 g (1/3 c) chopped fresh dill
• 75 g (1/3 c) tomato paste
• 50 ml (1/4 c) red wine vinegar
• 3 ml (3/4 tsp) salt

Preparation time: 15 minutes. Cooking time: 1 hour. Serves 4.

1. In a small bowl, combine the shiitake mushrooms and the boiling water. Let stand for 20 minutes, or until softened. With your fingers, remove the mushrooms from the soaking liquid, reserving the liquid. Trim any stems from the mushrooms and coarsely chop the caps. Strain the reserved liquid through a fine-meshed sieve or a coffee filter. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over a medium heat. Add the onion and the garlic and cook for five minutes, or until the onion is light golden brown.
3. Add the carrot and the parsnip, and cook for an additional five minutes, or until the carrot is crisp-tender.
4. Stir in the shredded cabbage. Cover and cook over medium heat for five minutes, or until the cabbage begins to wilt. Stir in the mushrooms and their reserved liquid, the lima beans, the chopped dill, the tomato paste, the red wine vinegar and the salt.
5. Add 750 millilitres (three cups) of water to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 25 minutes, or until the soup is richly flavoured.

Per serving:

• 282 Calories
• 7.8 g Fat
• 1 g Saturated Fat
• 9 g Protein
• 48 g Carbohydrate
• 13 g Fibre
• 0 mg Cholesterol
• 682 mg Sodium

Cabbage and mushrooms team up in this hearty winter soup. It's the perfect solution to those dreary winter nights.