Health4Tips: soup

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Friday, May 1, 2015

Thai green curry cauliflower and coconut soup

Another rainy day means another soup recipe - and another successful experiment! This is another delicious fragrant and spicy soup that will warm you up, its vegetarian and vegan friendly, cheap and easy to make and is quite low in carbohydrates.

The major ingredient in this soup is cauliflower, and even those who are not cauli fans are unlikely to realise it! It has a similar texture to a potato soup but without all the high GI carbs. Cauliflower is a fantastic vegetable and as a part of the brassica family (also known as cruciferous vegetables) cauliflower contains antioxidants, phytonutrients, lots of fibre and is high in vitamin C, B6, K and folate. Many studies have suggested that increasing consumption of plant foods like cauliflower decreases the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and overall mortality while promoting a healthy complexion, increased energy, and overall lower weight.

The coconut milk in my recipe does add more kilojoules and fat, but it is not too much across this big pot of soup, and I have chosen a reduced fat variety. If you are closely watching your saturated fat intake you could consider using evaporated milk and a few drops of coconut essence instead. If you're in Australia you can buy a low fat evaporated milk that is coconut flavoured for exactly this purpose!

INGREDIENTS:

1 large leek sliced
1 bunch coriander
1 whole head of cauliflower roughly chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
1 can reduced fat coconut milk
2 TBSP Thai green curry paste
1 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP minced garlic (or 2 cloves fresh garlic chopped)
1 tsp minced ginger
1 TBSP dried paprika
1 TBSP dried chilli flakes (omit if you don't like it spicy!)
Greek yoghurt and coriander leaves or sliced shallots to serve

METHOD:

Slice leek, roughly chop cauliflower, chop stems of coriander just above the roots, set leaves aside for later.

Toss onion and coriander stems in a heavy based pot with olive oil, garlic, ginger, paprika and chilli flakes and saute for a few minutes. If you are not a fan of coriander or you don't have any fresh, use 1 tsp of dried ground coriander seeds.
Add chopped cauliflower and saute for a few minutes. Add green curry paste and stir for 5 minutes until fragrant.

Add vegetable stock, coconut milk, a pinch of salt and black pepper.

Simmer for 30 minutes on low heat until cauliflower is very soft.

Whizz with a stick blender or food processor until your soup is thick and creamy.

I served in a bowl with a dollop of Greek yoghurt in the middle. Serve topped with chopped shallots or coriander leaves for extra bite, or lemongrass stems if you have them. Delicious with a slice of dense multigrain bread or a traditional sourdough to soak up the flavour.

Easily serves 6 hungry people :) Bon appetit!

Tonight's taste test - Curried carrot and red lentil soup

Privacy legumes , recipes

Tonight is cool and wet so it's time to start winter cooking. I decided to make an experiment tonight and it worked!! A delicious fragrant and spicy soup, this one is vegetarian and vegan friendly, cheap and easy to make and very filling with lots of fibre and low GI carbohydrates from the lentils (which are from the legume family).

Legumes are foods like peas, beans and lentils and they are nutritional powerhouses with fantastic nutrient qualities, a great source of plant based protein, low GI carbohydrates and resistant starch. The coconut cream in my recipe does add more kilojoules and fat, but it is not too much across this big pot of soup. If you are closely watching your saturated fat intake you could consider using yoghurt or evaporated milk instead.

INGREDIENTS:

1 brown onion diced
1 bunch coriander
4 large carrots diced
1.5 cups dried red lentils
4 cups vegetable stock
1/2 can reduced fat coconut cream
2 TBSP Thai red curry paste
2 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP minced garlic (or 2 cloves fresh garlic chopped)
1 tsp minced ginger
1 TBSP dried ground cumin
1 TBSP dried chilli flakes (omit if you don't like it spicy!)

METHOD:

Dice brown onion, chop stems of coriander just aboove the roots, set leaves aside for later.

Toss onion and coriander steams in a heavy based pot with olive oil, garlic, ginger, cumin and chilli flakes and saute until onion is transparent

Add red curry paste and stir for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.

Add diced carrots and saute for 2-3 minutes until softened then add lentils and stock.

Simmer for 30 minutes on low heat until carrots and lentils are very soft.

If you like your soup lumpy, leave it as is. I whizzed mine with a stick blender until thick and no large pieces remain.

Add reduced fat coconut cream to taste (I used a bit less than 1/2 can) and stir through chopped coriander leaves in last 5 minutes to serve.

We each had a small bowl to taste test it and then I filled five containers for the freezer so this recipe could easily serve 6-8 people.

Bon appetit!

Recipe - super easy Thai red curry soup (veggie)

Privacy curry , recipes

It's a cold wet drizzly day here today and as I was working from home I thought it was time to put the slow cooker on. I decided to make a batch of soup, had a read through my recipe books, couldn't find anything I felt like so made one up ! LOL I was happy for it to be a freezer meal or lunch for tomorrow if it tasted ok. Fortunately my experiment was a roaring success and after a taste test by the family, the menfolk have decided they would just like soup and toast for dinner. SCORE!

I made this one in the slow cooker, but you could just as easily do it on the stove or in a pressure cooker. If you are not a fan of spicy foods then halve the amount of curry paste- this is not screamingly hot but does pack a warming punch :)

You will need:
1/2 butternut punpkin (or whatever pumpkin you like!)
1 large piece of sweet potato
4 stalks of celery
I'm sure you could add other veg if you wished!
1 400g can of chick peas
4-6 cups of vegetable stock
150ml coconut cream (I used the full fat version as it is a small amount in a big batch of soup, but feel free to use fat reduced if you are watching calories more closely)
2 tsps ground coriander
2 tsps ground cumin
2 tsps ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste (Indian tandoori paste would work fine too)
Fresh coriander (cilantro) or parsley and a dollop of Greek yoghurt to serve

Peel and roughly chop your root veggies, dice the celery, drain the chick peas and pop it all in the slow cooker (or in a heavy based pot on the stove). Add dry spices, curry paste, stock and give it a stir. Feel free to add extra stock / water depending on the size of your pot.

Simmer until vegetables are soft. I cooked for 3 hours in the slow cooker, but probably 40 minutes on the stove would give you the same result. Whizz with a stick blender or food processor until a smooth consistency then add coconut milk to blend and return to the heat until warmed through.

Serve hot with a dollop of Greek yoghurt, some chopped fresh coriander, black pepper and some crusty grainy low GI bread. Guaranteed to warm your soul!

Lyndal @ Lean Green and Healthy

Recipe - green pea and ham soup (and veggie option!)

Privacy dinner , recipes

Its a cool autumn evening and I was working from home so decided to put a pot of soup on to cook slowly over the course of the afternoon. I made one of my favourites- pea and ham! Split peas are low GI- with a glycemic index of 25 they are an excellent choice if you are diabetic or watching your weight as they give you slow sustained energy. According to the Glycemic Index Foundation "Like other legumes, dried peas are a nutritional storehouse because they are slowly digested, a little goes a long way"

So let's use them to make some soup! You can make this recipe rapidly in about 45 minutes, however the soup turns out much better if you take it low and slow and give it around 3-4 hours. Alternatively put it in a slow cooker for 6-8 hours while you're at work. Traditionally pea and ham soups use a whole ham bone or bacon hock. While this gives the soup a very rich flavour, it also makes them quite fatty and salty. Instead, I have chosen to basically make a vegetable and pea soup, and to add diced smoked ham towards the end. For a vegan or vegetarian option, or if you don't like pork, just leave it out for a lovely rich split pea soup.

You will need:
2 cups dried split green peas
3 large carrots
1 large onion
1/2 bunch (about 4 stalks) celery
2 tsp minced garlic or 2 cloves fresh garlic
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock (salt reduced)
250g ham (I used smoked ham hock meat in a pack from the supermarket (got it at ALDI), but you could use any sliced ham or diced lean bacon if you prefer. Alternatively, buy a whole bacon or ham hock. All preserved meat like this can be salty, so don't use too much, make sure your stock is salt reduced and I doubt you will need any salt for seasoning)
2 tsp dried or fresh rosemary
black pepper
herbs for garnish

To prepare your peas, first check the pack for any instructions. Generally they need a quick wash. Place your peas in a sieve or colander and check for any stray grains or discoloured peas and discard. Wash the peas with running water until the water runs clear- should only take 3 or 4 rinses. If gluten is an issue for you, you may want to be pretty careful with this step in case of stray grains in processing. Set the peas to one side.

Dice your onion, carrots and celery finely and add them to a large, heavy based pot. I use a cast iron pot as it holds the heat well and spreads it evenly, but any large pot will do fine.

To your pot of vegetables, add the garlic and a drizzle of olive oil, the rosemary and a little black pepper and cook for about 5-10 minutes until the onion is translucent.

Next add the peas, 4 cups of stock and 2 cups of water.
If you are using a whole hock, remove the rind and underlying fat and put it in the pot.
Keep the pot on medium heat until the liquid starts to simmer.
Turn the heat down as low as you can (I move mine onto the smallest gas ring) and put the lid on.

Leave the soup to cook slowly like this for the next two hours, stirring every half an hour or so to check it is not sticking on the bottom. The liquid level was just right for me, but if your stove is hotter you may need to top up the water.

After around 2 hours your soup should be cloudy with partially disintegrated peas and very soft vegetables. At this point if you are using a whole hock, take it out of pot now. Either use your stick blender or put the soup into a blender / food processor and whizz until it reaches the desired consistency.

I made mine reasonably smooth, but not completely - I still like a few bits of peas and carrots for texture.

Put your soup back on the low heat on the stove.

If you like pea and ham soup, dice around 250g of ham and add to the soup at this point. Or, if using the bacon hock, remove the meat from the bone, dice it and return to the pot. If you are making the veggie option, leave out this step. Either way your soup needs about another 30-45 mins or so on low heat and it is done and ready to serve.

Serve hot with some fresh herbs and black pepper for garnish. This pot serves 6-8 people and is filling, tasty, nutritious and cheap !

To make this in a slow cooker, do the first step on the stove (cooking onions, celery carrots and garlic for a few minutes) then put it in the slow cooker and continue the rest, just double your cooking time. Bon appetit!

Lyndal @ Lean Green and Healthy

Recipe - mushroom soup

Privacy lunch , mushrooms

The finished product- tasty and nutritious!

I went to make a salad for lunch today, but sadly I was all out of spinach (noooooo!). Time to be creative! Fortunately I had lots of other veggies in the fridge including a pack of mushrooms. Did you know mushrooms are incredibly nutritious? (Click this link if you want to read more about their wonders) So instead of salad, I made a quick and tasty mushroom soup. Here's the recipe!

Ingredients

400g mushrooms

1 tsp minced or 1 clove of fresh garlic

2 cup vegetable or chicken stock

Handful fresh or a few tsps dried herbs of your choice (I used rosemary and thyme)

Shallots or onion or leek

Some milk or yoghurt to serve

Small amount of butter or olive oil

Start by chopping the white parts of your shallots (or onion or leek) and sautéing in a heavy based saucepan with garlic and a little butter or olive oil. Olive oil has more proven heart benefits, but I prefer the taste of butter for these things but the choice is yours - only make sure you just use a little bit or your soup will be oily. Use 1 tsp minced garlic if you're using a jar, or finally chop a clove of fresh garlic you have it.

While the onion and garlic is cooking, chop up around 400-500g mushrooms. It seems like a lot but they disappear when they cook. Any mushrooms will do, the darker the mushrooms the stronger the flavour. I had small white button mushrooms in my fridge today so that's what I used!

Slice them relatively finely to aid cooking but don't be too precise, they will all be blended eventually so don't need to be pretty.

Pop the mushrooms in with the onion and garlic and stir for a few minutes until they start to cook and soak up the little bit of oil in the pan. Add your stock, herbs and some ground black pepper and leave to simmer for 5-10 minutes. I used some fresh rosemary and dried thyme, but parsley, basil, oregano or chives would all work beautifully.

While this is cooking you may choose to make some tasty topping for your soup. I had half a rasher of bacon in the fridge leftover from another meal so decided to use it up along with the green tops of the shallots. You could also chop some fresh herbs or use croutons or flaked almonds - whatever you feel like. I chopped the fat and rind off the bacon (and fed it to my happy dogs) and diced what was left and popped it in a hot pan with the shallots. As I cook with a well seasoned cast iron frypan, I didn't need any extra fat or oil ..... depending on your pan you may need a little. I also tore off some fresh parsley leaves.

Once the mushrooms are looking brown and soft, take the soup off the heat and zap with a stick mixer or put it in your blender. Make it as smooth or lumpy as you wish. You can eat it as is if you like more watery soup or add some milk or yoghurt to make it taste creamier and more filling. I found two tablespoons of Greek yoghurt stirred through gave it a lovely finish.

Serve immediately with your choice of toppings!

It's cheap, tasty, nutritious, takes about 15 minutes and serves 4.

Note: once you add the yoghurt or milk this is probably not ideal to freeze, but should keep nicely in the fridge for a day or so.

Enjoy!!

Lyndal @ Lean Green and Healthy

Health4Tips

Friday, May 1, 2015

Thai green curry cauliflower and coconut soup

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Tonight's taste test - Curried carrot and red lentil soup

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Recipe - super easy Thai red curry soup (veggie)

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Recipe - green pea and ham soup (and veggie option!)

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Recipe - mushroom soup

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