Cauliflower and Cumin soup

one head cauliflowerm
cumin
garlic
onions – two or three
chilli powder
paprika
chicken stock cubes
water

roughly chop onion, throw it in with as many peeled but whole garlic cloves as you want. I use brown shallots usually but they push it over ten dollars cos they aren’t as cheap. brown in a bit of butter for a while, then throw in the broken oup cauli, a few litres of water and all the other ingredients plus salt and pepper to taste, cook it til the cauli is mushy and the water has reduced down to the level suitable for how thick you would like the soup. blend the lot, salt and pepper to taste, and at this point if ive made it too runny i add a couple of potatoes and then blend it again once they are cooked. tastes like it has cream in it and is very cheap and healthy!!!

Red Lentil Soup

It’s winter time and what better on a cold cold night than a steaming bowl of soup!

RED LENTIL SOUP

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
Cracked black pepper
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1 cup red lentils
1 litre vegetable stock
2 red onions, finely sliced
1 bunch (90 grams) coriander

Method
Put 1 tablespoon olive oil in a saucepan and add diced onion, ginger and pepper. Cook over a medium heat until the onion is soft. Add the carrot, lentils and stock, and bring to the boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan over medium heat and add red onion. Wash coriander, and finely chop coriander, including roots, setting aside the top leafy bits for the garnish. Add the chopped coriander roots and stems to the red onion in fry pan and continue to cook, until the onion has caramelized.

To serve, ladle the soup into four soup bowls, garnish with a sprinkling of coriander leaves, then top with a spoonful of the caramelized onion. Yummy!

From Marie Claire – Kitchen

Minestrone with Chicken

 

Minestrone with Chicken

 

1 tbs olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1-2 cloves of garlic if you like

2 stalks celery, sliced

1 medium carrot, diced

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

2 cups beef stock

1 400g can crushed tomatoes

1 sachet tomato paste

1 200g can red kidney beans

1 medium potato, peeled and diced

1/2 cup uncooked pasta (penne or elbows are good)

2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded (steam in the microwave or grill if you prefer)

 

Heat oil, add onion and garlic and cook over low heat till soft. Add everything else except pasta and chicken, bring to the boil, simmer for 10 minutes. Add pasta and chicken and cook for a further 10 minutes or until all vegies are cooked. Serve topped with a tablespoon of shaved parmesan. You might need to add a cup or so of water if the stock is not enough liquid.

 

Oh yeah, in case you haven’t used canned beans before: you need to rinse them, or they’ll be all gloopy.

 

Makes 4 serves