Pumpkin and Apple Soup

I am a big supporter of cooking using season ingredients! And at the moment, what is more seasonal than soup, pumpkin and apple??

I must admit, the last time I posted on that blog is a good couple of months ago, simply because

1) I am really lazy,

2) I have a very short attention span,

3)  I haven’t been eating very healthy recently

Okay, on most days, but then I fall off the wagon over the weekend and at functions – which spoils all my efforts.

Damn you wine.

But I commit to keep trying!  🙂

I will post this recipe on there as well – as soon as I remember the login details!  *facepalm*

Anyway!  Moving on swiftly!!

 

Ovenroast at 180C for 45 minutes on a baking tray lined with foil, prepped with non-stick spray:

3 medium apples – cut into wedges.  I didn’t peel it because I normally liquidise my soup, not a fan of chunky bits in my soup 😛

500g pumpkin – cut into chunks

1 large onion – peeled and sliced

A generous glug of olive oil

A good sprinkling of salt – at the Fire and Feast Festival I bought some smoked sea salt, amazeballs!

Transfer to a larger saucepan/pot – adding 2 cups of chicken stock (or veggie stock for vegetarian option!), a sprinkling of chili flakes and cinnamon, some white pepper and garlic salt.

Simmer for about 20 minutes – and voila!

Liquidise with stick blender thingy and serve with fresh wholewheat rolls.

I served it with toasted coconut flakes (thank you Woolies!)

The ideal meal to have on #MeatlessMonday!

Corn and Mussel Chowder

I hang my head in shame – no post in 3 months… crazy!  But I think most people feel like me – this year is simply going too fast.  May, June and July simply seems like a blur!  Phew…  Anyway, time to get back on track!  Here we go 🙂

This soup is super tasty and super easy to prepare!

Corn and Mussel Chowder

150g chopped onion

10ml olive oil (lemon infused – or add a good squirt of lemon juice)

1 chopped chilli (can be omitted)

500ml chicken stock

400g frozen corn (pour boiling water over and leave to stand for a few minutes)

400g potato (cubed)

400g mussel meat

Salt and Pepper to taste

Fresh coriander or parsley to serve

 

Fry chopped onions in olive oil until soft.  Add potato cubes and chicken stock and simmer until soft.  Add 1/2 of corn and liquidise soup with handblender.  Add rest of corn and mussel meat, season.  Simmer on medium heat for about 5 minutes (mussel meat cooks quickly)

Serve with fresh coriander or parsley.

 

Serves 4.

1 Serving = 1 Prot, 2 CC, 1/2 Fat, 1/2 Veg

 

 

 

 

 

Roasted Tomato Soup with Risoni

A lovely filling and tasty soup!  🙂  I added the risoni (pasta rice or orzo) to add a little more ‘body’ to the soup – you can have some chunky bread or toast with it, but it actually isn’t necessary, it is filling enough as is 🙂

10 ml olive oil

800g cherry/baby tomatoes

1 onion, quartered

Fresh thyme

400ml chicken stock (if vegetarian – use veggie stock)

200g cooked risoni (tip: cook in only for about 8 minutes, it tends to get soggy quite quickly!)

1/2 tsp Garlic and Herb Spice (I use Robertson’s Masterblends)

Salt and Pepper to taste

 

To serve:  low fat feta (about 30g per person if serving 2, 15g if serving 4 ‘starter’ portions)  and fresh parsley

Place tomatoes, onions and thyme sprigs on a baking sheet (with foil and non-stick cooking spray) and a drizzle of olive oil.  Roast in a pre-heated oven at 180C for about 30 minutes (until tomatoes start to blister)

wp-1463629581780.jpg

Transfer to a pot (medium sized, stove top), and remove some of the thyme sprigs (it can get a little ‘tough’.  Add stock, spice mix, salt and pepper and simmer for about 15 minutes.  You can add more stock if you find it too thick.  Liquidise (I used a stickblender – liquidise the soup in the pot).  Stir in cooked pasta rice.  Simmer for another couple of minutes to make sure the pasta rice is the same temperature than the soup.  Dish up and serve with feta and fresh parsley (I actually wanted to use fresh basil, but we were all out!  The parsley was yummy as well.   And how ‘Italian’ does it look?  :):)

20160518_184637.jpg

Tip:  Hubby added blue cheese instead of low fat feta and said it worked well!  Also, if you prefer a more ‘meaty’ meal – serve with some fried bacon bits.

20160518_184656.jpg

Makes 2 large portions (that’s how we had it!) – or 4 ‘starter’ portions.

If serving 4:  1 CC, 1/2 Protein, 2 Veg, 1/2 fat

Cauliflower and Cheese Soup

Sounds and tastes extremely decadent, but it is so  easy and quick to make and a very healthy and filling meal!  🙂

200g Potato, cubed

300g Cauliflower (I used frozen cauliflower and it worked well)

200ml Chicken stock (or Veggie Stock, if preferred)

250ml Fat free milk

60g finely grated low fat cheese

White Pepper and salt

Smoked Paprika

Boil potato cubes in chicken stock for 10 minutes on medium heat.  Add milk and cauliflower and cook until soft.  Season with salt an d pepper to taste.  Liquidise with handblender.  Stir in grated cheese and dish up in soup bowls.  Sprinkle with a bit of Smoked Paprika and stir through – it gives a lovely colour and taste!

2016-05-09-19.28.17.jpg.jpg

Serves 2:  1 Serving =  1 CC, 1.5 Veg, 1/2 Milk, 1 Prot

PS:  Make this “Best Choice” by using Low Fat Feta!

Old-fashioned Bean Soup

I made a LARGE batch, portioned and frozen and ready for autumn.  Or sooner!  🙂

20160304_120844.jpg

300g chopped onions

30ml olive oil

10ml garlic paste

600g par-cooked sugar beans (cooked for about 1 1/2 hours)

1 litre beef stock (or veggie stock for vegetarians)

200g carrots, peeled and chopped or grated

400g potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 heaped tablespoons tomato paste

50ml Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons dried parsley or fresh Italian parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Using a large soup pot – fry onions in olive oil until soft.  Stir in garlic, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and fry for another minute.  Add the rest of the ingredients and lower heat to a slow simmer.  Top up with more stock if needed.  Simmer for about an hour, or until all the ingredients are soft.  I liquidised it a bit because I don’t like chunky soup.  Stir in dried parsley (or top with fresh parsley) and serve.

I topped each bowl with oven-baked pork sausages or lean bacon (1 additional protein serve).
20160304_120856.jpg

Serves 6

1 Serving = 1 Protein, 1 Veg, 1 CC

 

 

“Creamy” Asparagus Soup with Smoked Chicken

I thought the temperatures were going to drop a bit, but no luck!  After all, I guess we are still smack bang in the middle of summer!  I am definitely a ‘winter’ person so I relish every minor drop in temperature!  LOL!  So yes, even if it is just wishful thinking – I love soup any day of the year!

This is a super quick soup – should not take your more than 25 minutes.  I’m also not a fan of ‘chunky’ soup, so I always liquidise my soup and I also don’t use ‘meat/bones’ to make my soup with.

I often make this soup, but most of the time I use cauliflower instead of asparagus.  I just happened to discover a tin of asparagus in my cupboard (like the ‘end of the month Salticrax) and I wasn’t too sure what to do with it!  🙂

20160218_122831-01.jpeg

So, here goes:

50g chopped leeks

5 ml olive oil

2ml crushed garlic

200g baby potatoes, peeled and cubed (it cooks quicker that way)

300ml chicken stock

1 tin asparagus (230g drained)

Salt and Pepper to taste

 

90g smoked chicken, sliced

Non-stick cooking spray

 

Woolies Coconut, Chilli, Lime and Black Sesame Seed Grind (optional)

 

Fry leeks in olive oil for about 3 minutes.  Add garlic, fry for another minute and add potatoes and chicken stock and boil until soft (add more stock if needed).  Add asparagus and while cooking for another few minutes, put the chicken in the oven (on a baking sheet with tin foil and treated with non-stick cooking spray).  Allow the chicken to heat through and crisp up a little bit.

Liquidise soup mixture.  Serve soup with Coconut, Chilli, Lime and Black Sesame Seed Grind.  If I can be honest, I personally this seasoning works a bit better with a cauliflower soup  – not sure I will use it with asparagus again – but it looked very pretty 🙂

20160218_122843-01.jpeg

Spoon crispy smoked chicken on top and enjoy!

20160218_122858-01.jpeg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Curried Lentil and Potato Soup

image

100g peeled and cubed potato
200g cooked (or tinned) red lentils
250ml veggie stock (you can use more if you find the soup too thick)
150g tomato and onion mix
5ml mild curry powder
2.5ml turmeric
Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh coriander to serve

Cook potato in veggie stock until soft – but not mushy (about 20 min). Add rest of ingredients, lower heat to slow simmer for about 15 min.

Liquidise (if preferred) and serve with fresh coriander.

Serves 1 – 1 CC, 2 Prot, 1.5 Veg

Carrot, Sweet Potato and Chickpea Chowder

80g chopped onions

120g carrots (I used baby carrots)

200g sweet potato, cut into chunks

5ml olive oil

5ml mild curry powder

25o ml veggie stock

Salt and Pepper to taste

70g tinned chickpeas

Curry Carrot Sweet Potato and Chickpea Chowder

Fry onions in olive oil until soft, add curry powder and fry for another minute or two.  Add sweet potato and carrots, top up with veggie stock.  Season to taste.  Simmer until soft – top up with more stock if needed, depending how thick you like the chowder to be, liquidise.  Pour back into pot and simmer for another 5 minutes.  Serve with fresh parsley or coriander.

Serves 1

2 Veg, 1 Fat, 1 Prot

Moroccan Pumpkin and Corn Soup

Moroccan pumpkin and corn soup with a big blob of fat free cottage cheese!  😀

Dead easy – 250g pumpkin, 100g potato, 1/4 tsp Woolies Moroccan Rub, salt and pepper to taste, 125ml chicken stock (top up if needed).

Boil until soft and liquidise.

Add 100g corn kernels and cook for another couple of minute.

Top with fat free cottage cheese.

And voila!

image

Curried Sweetcorn Soup (with Lentils)

Curried Sweetcorn Soup (with Lentils)

Adapted from Fresh Living Magazine July 2015

 

Serves 2

1 Serving: 1 Veg, 1 fat, 2 CC, 1 Prot

 

150g leeks

¼ tsp crushed ginger

½ tsp crushed garlic

¼ tsp crushed chilies

½ tsp turmeric

5ml olive oil

400g frozen corn kernels

15ml mild curry powder

1.5 cup chicken stock (vegetarians can use veggie stock instead)

200ml coconut milk (to save a fat portion I used fat free milk with a few drops coconut essence)

200g cooked red lentils

 

Fresh coriander to serve

 

Fry leeks in olive oil with ginger, garlic and chillies

Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for about 20 minutes

Liquidise ½ (I personally prefer a ‘smooth’ soup, but you can leave it as is!) and serve with fresh coriander

image